A Mother’s Day miracle: Gulfport firefighters help woman in labor deliver her baby

Firefighters are expected to handle a lot of intense situations, battling blazes aside.

On Sunday, several Gulfport firefighters’ skills were put to the test when they were called to a house of a pregnant woman who had gone into labor.

And she wasn’t going to make it to the hospital to give birth.

“It was a Mother’s Day we will probably never forget,” said Gulfport fire Lt. Jesse Vincent.

At 5:30 a.m. Sunday, Vincent and his crew were called out to a house a mile from the station on East Pass Road. The firefighters would then facilitate the birth, which would happen in the front seat of the mother’s car within three minutes.

“It was an experience for sure,” Vincent said.

Engineer James Dolan is a trained paramedic and had been taught to handle situations such as helping people give birth.

“We are trained up pretty well to handle just about anything,” Dolan said. “We weren’t really thrown off. It was a good, straightforward call.”

Despite the straightforward nature of it, Vincent admits it isn’t something he is eager to repeat.

“I prefer not to do it again,” he said.

The mother and child were escorted to an area hospital, and both are happy and healthy, the department said on Facebook.