Area fire and EMT members deal with life and death situations on a regular basis.
Recently, the crew at Western Holmes County Fire District had the honor of dealing with life, helping to bring a newborn baby into the world right in the bay of their home fire station in Nashville.
The event happened late on the evening of Jan. 14 when a local Nashville couple made a frantic call to the station, which is staffed during the day but volunteer in the evenings.
The call said the wife was in labor, and they felt there was no way they were going to make it to the birthing center in Millersburg. An emergency stop needed to happen, and that stop would be in the fire station’s bay.
The department had a meeting that night, and after everyone had gone home, EMT Bailey Boughman decided to simply stay the night rather than go home and return in the early morning.
That turned out to be very fortuitous.
The call came in after 11:30 p.m., and local EMT Marlin Miller knew Boughman was there alone, so he heard the call and bolted for the station to help.
Now on high alert after the call came in, Boughman said it was only a matter of minutes until the local couple arrived.
“I knew there were limited people available, and these aren’t calls I would normally seek out, but I felt it was important to get in and help Bailey,” Miller said.
When he arrived, Boughman had already gotten the equipment and cot set up and was doing everything by the book. Miller helped, and he was the one who actually received the infant boy as he was delivered.
“It didn’t take long,” Miller said. “Time was of the essence. We realized getting them to the hospital in time wasn’t going to happen, so the responsibility fell to us.”
EMTs are trained in every possible scenario, taking many classes and adding educational hours to their resumes to keep them on top of every outcome.
For 18 years Miller has been an EMT, but this was the first time for this particular case.
Boughman received his EMT license less than one year ago.
Experienced or not, the training they received paved the way to success.
“It was a matter of probably 10 minutes from when they arrived at the actual delivery,” Boughman said. “We’re trained for these types of situations, but it is still pretty nerve-wracking because you’re bringing a life into the world.”
Miller said one thing that helped them work the process was how calm and collected the couple was as the mother prepared to give birth.
“That really helped settle the atmosphere and keep us calm,” Miller said. “It was impressive. I’m pretty sure this was never the way they envisioned giving birth to their second child.”
Not long after the birth, the two EMTs were joined by fellow EMT Jasmine McElroy. She said she responded in case there was additional aid required. She helped cut the cord and presented the baby to the mother, a moment she said was especially touching.
McElroy, now in her second year as an EMT, said all the education paid off in this situation, and they were all inspired by the moment.
“It was special, and I think going through something like this helps make other situations less hectic,” McElroy said.
All the members said being a cohesive unit is the reason everything went so smoothly, and being there for one another and for the community is why every EMT makes the sacrifices necessary to better themselves to serve others.
“All of the education and recertification never stops,” said Zach Hutchinson, Western Holmes Fire District chief. “These people invest heavily in this, and the continuing education never stops because there is always more to learn when it comes to being here for the service of those in our community.”
Hutchinson said he was proud of the way his team responded to a challenging situation and said their ability to maintain composure in the face of chaos makes them special.
“You train to deliver a baby in EMT school, but you never expect it to happen,” Hutchinson said. “These EMTs are ready to roll at the drop of a hat, and they are extremely committed to doing their very best in every situation, and in this case they did a remarkable job.”
The story continues several weeks later, where it was reported the baby and his parents are doing wonderfully, thanks to the professionalism, training and courage of the WHCFD EMT crew.
