Beyond the flames: Cape Town firefighters deliver babies
Cape Town - While Cape Town firefighters are known to come to the rescue fighting blazes and rescue people in emergency situations, they also are equipped to operate as midwives.
Over the festive season, the City of Cape Town’s Fire and Rescue services assisted with the delivery of six babies during the festive season, of which three were born at Mfuleni Fire Station. While overall for 2024, the Fire and Rescue service assisted with 16 babies.
Spokesperson for City Fire Services, Jermaine Carelse, said that from January to December, “16 babies that were born at Fire Stations last year, with Hout Bay Fire Station being the place of choice, with 10 babies”.
Back in the start of December, Joswin Lameyer and Khuselo Blaai were at Mfuleni Fire Station, when a mom-to-be arrived, complaining of obstetric pains.
They jumped into action and summoned paramedics from Macassar Fire Station, but the baby was not waiting, and so the two firefighters set about helping the mom deliver her baby, while receiving telephonic instructions from an Ambulance Emergency Assistant.
Mayco Member for Safety and Security, JP Smith said: “A few minutes later, a healthy baby boy made his appearance, and Lameyer and Blaai were able to clamp and cut the umbilical cord.
“Mom and baby were transported to the Site C Community Health Centre in Khayelitsha.”
On the 4th of December, firefighters based at Gugulethu Fire Station helped deliver the first of a set of twins at around 5am in the morning. The second baby was delivered at hospital a while later.
While on the 12th of December, an expectant mom arrived at the fire station just before 10am.
“Firefighters jumped into action, and within 45 minutes, they had helped her deliver a healthy baby girl, and cut the umbilical cord. Mom and her bundle of joy were transported by ambulance to the Khayelitsha District Hospital,” Smith said.
This past Friday, 17 January, another expectant mom arrived at Mfuleni Fire Station at 13:35, and her baby arrived 20 minutes later, with the assistance of firefighters on duty at the time.
The mother and baby were transported to Khayelitsha Day Hospital via ambulance.
“Mfuleni Fire Station is a go-to for many residents in distress, and so it is wonderful to see how staff excel time and again to save lives, but also help bring new life into the world,” Smith said.
“I would like to congratulate the firefighters for their swift response. It is a moment to be proud of and to cherish – our best wishes to the mother and her newborn. We are grateful that there were no complications and that everything went well,” said Smith.
“At the rate our staff are going, we could very well have a junior fire crew... I am incredibly happy that all of the births were free of complications and that the moms and their babies are in good health.
“Fires tend to take most of the focus, but it is called the Fire and Rescue Service, and these incidents serve as a timely reminder of that. I also want to commend the staff members involved, for being true ambassadors for the service,” Smith said.
In an interview with eNCA, firefighter Lindokuhle Ralarale said: “Delivering babies is one of the most amazing things that I’ve witnessed in my life, so I am truly proud of where I am at right now, and the journey that I've been through.”
Another firefighter from the Hout Bay fire station, Darryn Solomons, who has delivered eight babies so far, said that he takes it as a privilege to be one of the first people to hold the baby.
The firefighters also shared that one of the difficulties is when they get abuse from the very community that they help, but they said that at least people know they can come to the fire station to get help.