Crime & Safety

Burlington Firefighters Help Deliver Baby in Back of Ambulance

Emergency responders helped bring a healthy baby girl into the world.

Two members of the Burlington Fire Department responded to a call that they will never forget last week.

At 2 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 1, the Burlington Fire Department received an ambulance request for a woman going into labor on Seven Springs Lane.

The plan was to take the lady and her husband to the hospital where the baby could be delivered in a hospital bed surrounded by doctors and nurses.

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However, the baby girl had other plans. Apparently she was in a hurry to meet her new parents.

"The baby wouldn't wait," explained firefighter and medical responder Eric Fitzgerald, who responded to the scene with fellow Burlington Fire Department member Craig Callahan, along with Mike Naughton and Terri Pallis of Armstrong Ambulance Service. 

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"After two or three minutes they told us to stop the ambulance and we had the mother deliver the baby right there," Fitzgerald said. "Once it was delivered the father cut the cord and wrapped her up and took her to the hospital."

Fitzgerald said both the mother and child were healthy.

"The baby was healthy and the mother was healthy and doing well," he said. "The father was in transport with us and got to cut the cord, a great experience."

While this was the fifth baby Naughton helped deliver, it was a first for Fitzgerald, who said it was a memorable experience. He said as a EMT he has been trained in delivery babies but until that night those skills had never been tested.

"It was the first time for me," he said. "I've had some close calls but this was the first time I helped deliver a baby."

"It was a really amazing experience," he continued. "It's something you can't explain unless you're there. It definitely brings a smile to your face , especially since we're so near the holidays."


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