VIDEO: Firefighters never really know what a shift will bring, but for a group with the Pawtucket Fire Department, this summer brought a rare string of calls theyโll never forget. Every shift starts the same: check the truck, check your equipment, and be ready for anything. However, calls donโt always go as expected, and crews often respond to emergencies where the outcome isnโt positive.
Most days, itโs the usual rollover crash or kitchen fire, which are calls firefighter Ray Johnston describes as โthe bread and butter of the job.โ Though sometimes, there are calls that stand out for all the right reasons. This year, in just over two months, Pawtucket firefighters helped deliver healthy babies โ not one, not two, but three times.
First delivery โ May 30
Right at the start of summer, firefighters Joe Heeps and Jack Donahue were dispatched to help a woman in labor. Donahue arrived on scene first and quickly realized the baby wasnโt going to wait long. โThe mom looked at me and said she had the urge to push, which, anybody thatโs in our field knows that means the baby is coming. It’s on its way,โ Donahue recalled.
Once Heeps and his partner, Jake Morgan, made it on scene, they determined it was safe to head to the hospital. Just as they pulled into the parking lot, the delivery began. โWithin a very short time, the baby was here and we were right out front of the hospital at that point so everything worked out perfect,โ Heeps said, adding that the delivery went smoothly. While the delivery went smoothly, both firefighters described that quick ride to the hospital as โthe longest ten minutes any of us have ever experienced.โ
โWe all felt the emotion of the whole thing at that point where we had a second to breathe and think about what we just didโ Donahue added. A few weeks later, the firefighters reunited with the healthy baby girl and her family. โIt was actually really nice to be able to see the positive outcome that we had,โ Heeps said. โWe usually donโt get to see that a lot.โ The call was even more memorable for Heeps as he and his wife would welcome their first child on July 30.
Second delivery โ July 9
Just after 2:20 a.m., firefighters Tom Mancini and Joe Santarpio were returning from another call when they were dispatched for a woman in labor. When Mancini was first on the scene and when he went inside, he saw the woman on the bathroom floor in active labor. โHe told me, โbabyโs coming,โ so I just grabbed the necessary things โฆ everything to try and make the mom and baby as comfortable as possible,โ Santarpio said. This baby had no time to wait, not even for a ride to the hospital or for the rest of the crews to arrive.
โI ended up grabbing a towel off their towel rack to catch the baby with and wrap,โ Mancini recalled. โI just remember delivering the baby and looking up to see the engine company and Joe in the doorway of the bathroom looking at me.โ Fortunately, the delivery was another success, free from complications. โIt took her a couple seconds to cry. It feels like an eternity trying to stimulate and hear that cry, but once you do its a very rewarding sound,โ Mancini added.
Third delivery โ August 4
Last week, crews were called around 4:15 a.m. for a woman having contractions. When they arrived, firefighter Matt Dallaire thought he was speaking with the patient outside โ until she told him her sister was upstairs giving birth. โWe rushed upstairs and by what we were looking at, I knew that we were going to be delivering the baby there,โ Dallaire said.
By the time the rest of the crew reached the kitchen, firefighter Tom Mancini was kneeling on the floor with the newborn already crying. โI remember Matt being so thankful that I arrived,โ Mancini said. โโThank God youโre hereโ I think was his direct quote.โ
For Andrew Donnelly, Aug. 4 was quite the day as he wrapped up his first-ever shift with the delivery. Some firefighters have prior experience with other departments, but combined, the group has about 40 years with the Pawtucket Fire Department, plus Donnellyโs first day. โBeing that it is so different from our normal runs, something special like bringing life into the world is a rare thing to do in our field,โ Donahue said. โThatโs not something that any of us took lightly and not something any of us will forget probably for the rest of our lives.โ To the departmentโs knowledge, all three mothers and babies are now thriving.
