GEAUGA COUNTY, Ohio – Emergency dispatchers are trained to handle just about any type of call, but Aaron Holman says one on Thursday morning was a first.
“She was pretty frantic. The caller was very excited, very hyper,” Holman said. “So I did my best to remain calm and walk her through the process of child birth.”
A woman called 911 shortly before 7 a.m. on June 27. Her daughter, a 39-year-old woman, was about to give birth at a home in Hambden Township. They didn’t have enough time to get to the hospital.
“Oh, its head is out. Oh my god. I can’t believe this,” says the woman caller.
“It’s OK ma’am , just gently support the head OK,” Holman replied.
Over the course of several minutes, Holman was able to walk the woman through the birth. Holman said he was concern because the baby was more than a month ahead of its due date.
Also a paramedic, Holman has never delivered a baby. However, he did have the aid of other staff members and special guidebooks that walk dispatchers through worst-case scenarios.
“It was stressful, but it’s my job to stay calm,” he said.
Geauga County Sheriff Dan McClelland said the staff was so impressed by Aaron’s performance that they gave him high praise in a staff memo shortly after.
“No, he may not be a father or have delivered a baby, But he does have a lot of experience as a dispatcher, and that training paid off,” McClelland said. “Aaron’s calmness, his ability to communicate well, the steps that needed to be taken and bring this to a successful conclusion were very evident when you listen to the tape.”
The sheriff’s department says the mother and baby, a girl, are doing well. This is the third child for the woman.
“When my shift left, it was definitely an emotional high, “Holman said. “It was something that, not knowing that if I’ll ever go through that process again, but it was something that I definitely can say I’m proud to have walked through, walked that person through the process of delivering their grandchild.”