Special Delivery by local Firefighters: Stork Award

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO)– A group of Columbia Firefighters were honored for helping a local couple deliver their baby.
ABC Columbia’s Miya Payton was at the presentation as the Dempsey family thanked the crew on Engine 11 for a job well done.

Earlier this month baby girl Ellie Dempsey made her grand entrance just 14 minutes after her mom’s water broke.
Her dad says there was no time to make it to the driveway much less a hospital.

Michael Dempsey/dad: “we’re taking a nap and all of a sudden she shoots up Frankenstein style and says my water just broke.”

Dempsey says his wife’s contractions were so bad that he had to call 9-1-1 because he was certain baby Ellie was already on her way out.
Not a typical emergency call for the crew on engine 11.

David Cooper/Columbia Firefighter: “it actually kind of threw us off”

Firefighter Cooper says they were already very close to the Dempsey’s home.

Cooper: “we walked in and she was already in full delivery. it was at that point game on.”

Dad says they came in at just the right time. “I was holding half of her head or half of her body in my hand and i just happened to look up and there was a firefighter standing over my shoulder. i said “great y’all are here . .y’all can do this.”

Dads have to stick together, luckily several of the firefighters on Engine 11 helped deliver their own children at the hospital.
However, Cooper says home birth is definitely not the same. “It was kind of scary, terrifying just trying to make sure everything went right, make sure we cover all of our bases. with a couple of us, being emt we go through extra training.”

Each member of the crew received a Stork award — an award for firefighters who help deliver babies.
Take it from the dad — these are some brave men delivering a baby is no job for the weak.

“I’m in the army. I’ve been in the army for 14 years, I’ve been to war a couple of times and the level of stress that i felt that afternoon is unparalleled to anything I’ve ever been through.“

Michael says he and his wife didn’t feel like they were just another call and on Friday, October 8 they welcomed not only baby Ellie but the crew of Engine 11 into the family.

Miya payton ABC Columbia news.