Glen Carbon Police Officers, Firefighters Saluted For Valiant Efforts In Baby Rhett's Birth

GLEN CARBON - A group of first responders and a family are proud and have a lot to be thankful for today.

Recently a telecommunicator guided two Glen Carbon Police Officers, and other Glen Carbon Fire Protection District first responders to a scene where a woman - Alicia Rocco - was in labor with her baby. The date of the 911 call was August 31, 2022. Her husband, Anthony, contacted 911, because he knew it was a huge emergency and likely there would not be time to get his wife to the hospital before the child's birth.

This delivery was not in the normal training of Sergeant Jeff Blind and Officer Zach Walters, to say the least, but that is what being a first responder is all about, Glen Carbon Fire Chief Jason Whitaker said.

"The two were needed to assist and did so admirably regardless of their training," the chief explained. Not only were they able to successfully deliver a healthy baby boy, but Sgt. Blind was able to recognize the fact that the umbilical cord was around the baby’s neck, and he removed it prior to completing the delivery."

Chief Whitaker said when Paramedic Bassett walked through the door, he was met by Sgt. Blind and the father holding a baby boy who was successfully delivered just moments earlier.

"The hard part was done, now it was time to take care of two patients," added Whitaker. "Paramedic Phil Bassett was tasked with caring for baby Rhett and firefighter/paramedic James Schulte’s patient would be his mother, Alicia. Both were stabilized and loaded into the ambulance for transport."

At Wednesday night's Fire Board Meeting Fire Chief Jason Whitaker made a special presentation to the members involved in the emergency home birth. On hand to assist in the presentation was the family of the new baby boy. Telecommunicator Kelsey Overholtz, Sgt. Blind and Officer Walters will all receive life-saving awards at Tuesday night's Glen Carbon Village Board Meeting. The Glen Carbon Fire Chief awarded Stork pins to the members of the team who were directly involved at the Fire Board Meeting.

Chief Whitaker made the following remarks at the meeting:

"In the Fire Service, we award Stork pins to members who are directly involved in a pre-hospital delivery. This marks only the third time this has happened in Glen Carbon since the inception of the Ambulance in 2007. Today we would like to recognize Telecommunicator Kelsey Overholtz, Officer Zach Walters, Sergeant Jeff Blind, FF/Paramedic James Schulte, and Paramedic Phil Bassett for their direct involvement in such a momentous occasion. We would also like to recognize the baby's father for his direct involvement in such a positive outcome."

He continued: "On Wednesday, August 31, 2022, at exactly 3:30 p.m. a 911 call came into Glen Carbon Telecommunicator Kelsey Overholtz for a woman in active labor. She was tasked with not only dispatching the necessary first responders but also providing instructions to the caller until help arrived. This is not a normal everyday call, however nine times out of 10 an ambulance arrives and transports the mother to the hospital with plenty of time to safely deliver the baby there.

"This day was not going to be that easy. Officer Walters was first to arrive on the scene just moments after the call and radioed back that delivery was imminent. At about that time Sgt. Blind arrived and began to assist Officer Walters and the father in the delivery of their third child. Arriving as the baby was delivered was an ambulance staffed with Firefighter/Paramedic James Schulte and Paramedic Phil Bassett, an Engine with Lt. Gregory DeSutter, Lt. Rachel Robert, and Firefighter Mark Knowles, and arriving with myself was Firefighter/Paramedic Chad VanRyn. Everyone had their job to do."

Lt. Wayne White, the Glen Carbon Police Patrol Commander said "proud" isn't probably a good enough word for how he feels about what the officers and other first responders did at the scene.

"They handled everything in textbook fashion," he said. "This is the first time in my 26 years on the job that officers delivered a baby at a scene. This does not happen very often, almost every time first responders are able to get the woman in labor to the hospital to give birth."

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