FDNY TV

“The umbilical cord was still attached when we got there, the mother was at the bottom of the basement stairs and she had just given birth to the baby. She was in a bit of a panic, she did not plan to give birth at home. Our guys were all EMTs before they became Firefighters and they knew exactly what to do, they’d had excellent training,” says FDNY Lieutenant Joseph Malatestinic from Engine 323 in Brooklyn, who supervised Firefighter Dwight Ferguson and Firefighter Terrence Sykes from Engine 323, and Firefighter Vincent Hopkins from Engine 233, when they were called to assist with the birth of a baby girl at a home in Brooklyn. Says Firefighter Ferguson, “It was difficult for us to get down the stairs, we couldn’t have made it without the support of our Lieutenant. He removed the door from its hinges so we could make it down with our equipment. When we got there, the baby was blowing bubbles but she wasn’t crying yet. When we used the suction she let out a big cry, and we said ‘Your baby is okay, your girl is doing well.’ My six years with EMS prepared me for this. It was a great team effort.” Firefighter Sykes added, “I’ve been on scene for more than a dozen deliveries, and we rely heavily on our training in medical situations just like we do with everything else. We try to keep the patient as calm as possible, and we were under very good supervision. We brought the baby out to the ambulance, and EMS took over patient care.” The mother and baby were transported to a local hospital and are doing well. Pictured L to R: Firefighter Dwight Ferguson, Lieutenant Joseph Malatestinic, Firefighter Terrence Sykes.