Yonkers firefighters spring into action to help deliver baby on Father's Day
YONKERS, Westchester County (WABC) -- Firefighters in Yonkers arrived just in time to make a special Father's Day delivery.
Most times when Engine 308 pulls out from the house on Warburton Avenue with lights and sirens, it's for a fire or some other emergency.
But around 6:30 p.m. on Father's Day, these firefighters pulled out on a different call.
"This was kind of an imminent birth," said Yonkers firefighter Lt. Thomas Hewitt. "We had to kind of act fast."
By the time they pulled up to an apartment building just up the road, all they knew was there was a mother in labor.
"She was trying to hold it in, waiting to get to the hospital," said Yonkers firefighter Robert Doolity. "And then as soon as we took a look we knew it was coming immediately."
Doolity was right with the mother, along with Hewitt, and bringing all the necessary emergency equipment was firefighter Troy Philbert.
"Clamps, scissors and everything needed to protect her and to protect us," said Philbert.
They even put the father to work for his third child. "Got him involved a little bit, getting us towels and sheets," said Hewitt. "Put them underneath her and for the baby too."
Anthony Perez was down waiting for the ambulance to arrive.
"I heard them screaming, 'get them up here right away, the ambulance right away,'" said Perez. "I ran up to them and listen, the baby is coming out now, she screamed her right out."
Three of them are EMTs and have years of training, but this baby was coming out fast. "It was a girl," said Doolity. "The head came out, I reached for it. He gave me towels and then within a couple of seconds, the whole thing was out."
"We clamped it twice and Robert was like Dad, he cut the chord," said Hewitt.
The firefighters are equipped with plenty of equipment to handle any emergency, even a fast-moving baby. Mom and baby are doing just fine.
"You really don't have time to be nervous," said Doolity. "You look at it like, I have to do something and then you start doing what you have to do."
"Another good feeling for me was, it was my birthday yesterday," said Hewitt. "So I got a bit of a birthday buddy now."
All in a day's work for the firefighters of Engine 308.
----------
