Firefighters Help Deliver Baby At Fire Station After Mom In Labor Realizes Hospital Is Too Far

Firefighters went above and beyond to help a mother in labor deliver a healthy baby boy in unusual circumstances.

Charlie Teal Dyck arrived healthy and active in the world On April 10, as his parents Randi and Peter Dyck of Alberta were on their way to the hospital in Calgary.

Randi started having contractions and knew that the baby would arrive before they could reach the hospital. It was their fourth baby and they were rushing to reach the hospital on time.

“By the time we were on the road, it was not looking good for us making it, I said, ‘We can’t go on the highway because we’re not going to be able to pull over on the highway and that’ll be a disaster.’”

So Peter pulled into the fire station and the crew were outside training when they arrived.

“Peter thought fast (while driving fast) and pulled into the fire station near Balzac, ran in to find the crew while I tried not to push in the parking lot, and we made it to some mats they laid on the floor for me just in time for Charlie to come bursting out in one push!” Randi later wrote, according to a post shared by XL 103 Calgary.

Fire Captain Devin Teal caught baby Charlie, it was his first time delivering a baby. “I’ve never witnessed a childbirth,” he said. “It was the first time I’ve actively been involved in the delivery of a baby, so I guess I could say it went well.”

Peter and Randi had a special request for the captain who’d caught their child. “We hadn’t settled on a middle name beforehand, so Peter asked the Captain who caught Charlie if we could use his last name,” Randi wrote.

So the newborn baby is named Charlie Teal. “Our midwife made it a few minutes after he was born, and we hung out and did all the postpartum things and caught up on paperwork right there on our mats between the fire trucks and were home cozy a few hours later!” Randi continued. “And now I have an ‘oh yeah? beat this!’ story for life.”

“I’ve been doing this for 42 years and have only been involved in two deliveries,” Rocky View County Fire Services Chief Randy Smith said. “Our crews are very professional and, of course, I’m very proud of them, as always.

“Anyone in medical distress should call 911,” he added. “Regardless of whether you’re driving into the hospital or not, it allows the coordination of fire and ambulance to help to assist you.”

Mother and son are safe and healthy despite the conditions surrounding Charlie’s birth. “He barely cries,” Randi said. “He got all of his drama out of the way in his birth, I guess.”