Volunteer firefighters deliver baby in parking lot
By Diana Gutierrez
Click here for updates on this story
BURLINGTON, Wisconsin (WISN) — A Waterford couple just added a new family member, thanks to the help of volunteer firefighters.
The couple had their baby in the back of an ambulance, which was not at all what they expected.
They have a 2-year-old son, so they had an idea of what to expect, but baby Silas had other plans.
The 6-day-old baby boy made sure to have a memorable birth.
“I just froze kind of, like, I don’t know what to do,” said Justin Wurtz, Silas’ dad.
“I had zero intention of ever having a natural birth,” said Brianna Wurtz, Silas’ mom. “I had an induction appointment actually that morning.”
On Feb. 13, Brianna realized it was time to welcome their newest family member.
“I was like, ‘We really have to go,'” she said. “I think he’s coming soon.”
The baby was coming so fast, there wasn’t time to get to a hospital. The couple had to stop at Millgate General Store in Burlington and call 911.
“About 4 in the morning, our pager started going off, calling us for a woman possibly in labor in a convenience store parking lot,” said part-time and volunteer Rochester firefighter Keegan Werth.
Werth was part of the team that responded to that call. At just 18, Werth jumped into action to help deliver the baby.
“We noticed baby start crowning. So, we halted transport,” Werth said. “We got started delivering the baby, delivered baby in the back of the ambulance.”
It was a first for these volunteer firefighters.
“Everyone on that ambulance and on the crew that day, first time doing it for all of us,” Werth said.
“I was just so happy to see them and they acted super professional,” Brianna said. “I would have honestly never known that they’ve never delivered a baby before.”
The couple said from the time they called 911 to baby Silas’ birth, it was about 21 minutes.
“For them to be able to just jump in and do what they did was just nothing short of amazing,” Justin said. “So I’m very grateful for that.”
Brianna said she plans on dropping off a thank you gift for the Rochester firefighters who helped deliver her baby.
Werth said the team is waiting for a sticker with a stork carrying a blue bag to put on the back of the ambulance to remember Silas’ birth.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
