Los Angeles (KNX) - You might feel inclined to call a firefighter 'hero' just by virtue of their job; our KNX Heroes this week remind us why the profession deserves such a title.
Back in November, a pregnant Hannah Phillips had just gotten home from a walk and was making a snack when her water broke.
Phillips told KNX’s Heather Jordan that the situation escalated quickly as she fell to the floor, "We realized that the baby was coming immediately. My husband was running around the house, you know, not very calm, and he called 911."
The duo thought they would be handling things on their own for a while as they waited for help to arrive, but "they showed up in about three minutes, which is completely crazy. I couldn't even believe it," Phillips said.
It was the Manhattan Beach Fire Department, all of whom were paramedics.
Fire Captain John Dulmage says, "We walked into the house, and Mom was on the floor in Dad's arms."
After assessing the situation for a few seconds, it was determined the best plan of action would be to deliver the baby in the living room rather than in the back of a moving ambulance.
"Not only would we have not been able to make it to the hospital, but we just didn't have any indication it was going to go down that way,” Phillips remembered.
With dad acting as a brace behind mom, firefighter and paramedic, Chris Grafton was in position, ready to catch a baby for the first time.
"It was awesome," Chris said, "I was able to at least watch my son being born a few months earlier. So I was kind of in the zone already, but it was awesome to be the one to actually catch him."
Phillips said every firefighter that day is a hero to her family, "Just the level of care that they gave... obviously, I was in a situation that was very vulnerable, and they were super friendly."
The team took care of everything from closing the blinds for privacy to taking turns helping distract the Phillips' older daughter.
Thanks to our KNX Heroes of the Week, baby Millie is happy and healthy, and Phillips hopes to keep in contact with the Manhattan Beach firefighters for years to come.
Check out all our KNX Heroes here.
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