Firefighters/paramedics are trained to save lives, but many don’t realize how commonly they help welcome them. In the last four years alone, the Richardson Fire Department has responded to about 60 childbirthrelated calls for help.
Curtis Poovey, Fire Department Chief, remembers assisting a mother and delivering a baby in the back of a pulled-over SUV.
“It’s always refreshing for our department to help bring a baby into the world and to assist families when they need it most,” he said.
David English, Battalion Chief of EMS, said, “There are examples throughout the department of paramedics delivering babies in the field.”
Ready to Help
Firefighters updated their skills recently at the Fire Training and Emergency Operations Center with a training involving steps for evaluating a mother, administering aid, delivering an infant, finding an Apgar score (a method to determine the condition of a newborn), and providing emergency assistance to the child as necessary.
When the birth process is going faster than planned or a mother is unable to get to a hospital, calling 911 can be the best option. As part of their Advanced Paramedic Training, Richardson firefighters learn the skills associated with assisting in a normal childbirth, as well as skills associated with emergency childbirth situations. Obstetrical training for paramedics includes pregnancy complications, pregnancy-induced medical issues, and care of the mother and infant after a childbirth. Every paramedic must attend annual continuing education on the subjects.
Firefighter/paramedics carry an OB kit that includes gloves, gowns, a blanket, bulb syringe, scalpel and clips. Upon arrival at the site where a birth is imminent, paramedics evaluate the mother to see if there is time for hospital transport or if the delivery will likely happen quickly. If the mother needs immediate attention, paramedics will follow their training protocols. Paramedics provide a calming presence and direction, guiding the birthing process, welcoming the baby, clipping and clamping the umbilical cord, and ensuring the child is breathing and the mother is stabilized. Following the birth, or if any complications are present at the time of attempted delivery, the mother and child are taken to the hospital for evaluation.
Buddy Hughes, Battalion Chief of Training, said the three deliveries he assisted with were unforgettable. “Those moments are etched in my mind unlike any other response calls,” he said. Eddie Valenzuela, a 22-year member of the RFD, has delivered four babies during his tenure. Although he knows what to do, the situations can feel high-pressure. “We really don’t feel eager to go on those calls, but in the end, we’re highfiving and glad that something good came out of it when the baby was born,” he said. “Those experiences are very rewarding.”
A Happy Outcome
Leah Worthington was one of the mothers whom Valenzuela assisted. On Dec. 11, 2014, Worthington was at home with her husband Josh preparing to give birth to their son Judah. She had been warned by her doula “pregnancy coach” not to go to the hospital too early in order to avoid being sent home. Worthington began timing her contractions, but didn’t realize how quickly the delivery would come.
“I convinced myself I wasn’t far along. The contractions began to get more intense. We were waiting and trying to be patient. But my water broke pretty early in the shower,” she said. “My mom told my husband to call the fire department.”
Josh called 911, and in a few minutes, Richardson firefighters/ paramedics arrived.
“I was glad they were there,” Worthington said. “They told me I needed to come out of the shower, and I said, ‘I can’t move.’ They helped me get out of the shower. I was feeling very shocked and surprised it was going this way. My son was coming quickly and they told me he was crowning and got me to the couch.”
In the midst of her pain and the emotion of the delivery, Worthington still thought of her new couch and protested.
“I had just bought the couch and loved it, so I suggested the floor,” she remembers.
The paramedics assured her they would help cover the couch, and proceeded to help her deliver.
“They knew what they were doing; they made me feel comfortable,” Worthington said. “It happened like a physician coming in and doing the delivery. They got my son out and put him on my chest and proved they were more than just firefighters.”
Worthington’s doula came just as she and Judah were being loaded into the ambulance.
“I’m very thankful and grateful that the first responders were able to be there in a time of need. Otherwise it could have been a really difficult, scary situation,” Worthington said. “They really brought a lot of calmness and knowledge.”
On Judah’s first birthday, Worthington took him to Fire Station 1 to celebrate with those who had assisted them a year before. The Worthington family, now including Judah’s little sister Liby, stay in touch with members of the RFD.
“It is special when paramedics can see the impact they have on the lives of the people they respond to,” English said. “I’m extremely proud of the firefighters/paramedics of the Richardson Fire Department. We take great pride in what we do. Many times, our members only have the opportunity to interact with the public on someone’s worst day. But, we celebrate the positive outcomes of our work, such as a successful childbirth. Those are impactful, happy experiences you never forget.”
