Ross Valley Firefighters Deliver Baby in San Anselmo

It was just another training day over at the Ross Valley firehouse, where Dr. Mark Bason-Mitchell arrived to give firefighters a lesson at the downtown San Anselmo station.

"We have all sorts of training activities, and doctors from Marin General come once a month on different topics," firefighter Todd Standfield said.

Monday's topic: "Childbirth and obstetrics."

Hours later, the doctor's advice was put to good use when the Ross Valley Fire Department's Engine 19 was dispatched at 7:40 p.m. to handle an "imminent childbirth" in a car that pulled over on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard not far from downtown San Anselmo.

A police officer already there urgently waved the firefighters alongside. "Get over here! Get over here!" he told the fire crew.

A Ross Valley woman was giving birth in the back seat of a Hyundai, her legs propped against the door. "We see the baby's head is crowning," Standfield said. "It's pretty exciting."

Capt. Mark Weston, a veteran who delivered a baby several years ago, took over as Standfield retrieved an obstetrics kit from the fire truck. Weston promptly delivered the healthy baby boy, clamped and snipped the umbilical cord, and smiled as the infant began wailing loudly. "It was a good sound," Weston said.

County paramedics in Medic 18 based in Ross rushed mother and child to Marin General Hospital.

"It's a good feeling," Weston said of the birthing drama. "It's a good thing to be able to help someone."

Marin General authorities declined to release any information, citing privacy rules, but Ross Valley fire officials said mother and baby were doing fine.

From the Marin IJ