FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – A Fresno firefighter delivered his own baby on Highway 41, City of Fresno officials said.
Firefighter Taylor Cruz was on duty at FFD Station 4 located in the area of North First and East Iowa when he received an emergency call from his wife Lisa telling him that she was in early labor with their second child, KTLA sister station KSEE/KGPE reports.
Cruz was rushing home, but the baby couldn’t wait to be born. He and his wife, Lisa, decided to meet on a side of Highway 41 and together, they delivered their baby in her car.
Cruz was able to use his EMT training to assist with childbirth, a requirement for all Fresno firefighters. These skills helped him to take care of his wife and new daughter — named Penelope Dawn Cruz — while they waited for an ambulance.
According to the City of Fresno Instagram post, Cruz credits his training for helping him switch “into work mode” and delivering a baby for the first time, his own daughter.