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Cape Town fire fighters deliver baby on a roof in Belhar
Fire fighters from the City of Cape Town delivered a baby in Belhar early on Tuesday morning, 24 November 2020. Jermaine Carelse, spokesperson for the City of Cape Town Fire and Rescue Service said that the fire service received the medical emergency call that a woman in labour at 04h38. “Belhar’s fire engine with five crew members and a rescue vehicle from Epping with two crew members responded to the incident. Fire and rescue personnel clamped and then cut the umbilical cord with a surgical blade. The new-born baby boy was then covered in a space blanket and crews monitored his vitals until the rescue vehicle arrived from Epping Fire Station. The fire fighters took the baby safely from the roof and kept him inside the fire engine until the ambulance staff arrived at 05h14. At 05h32am, the mom and baby were safely transported to the hospital.” Challenges faced included to ensure that both mother and baby was safe and to get them off the roof. Also, the fire fighters had to be cognisant of the amount of weight the structure was able to handle. “The mother gave birth on the roof which was not something you expect every day”, added Carelse. She lived in an informal structure behind a house and the yard had been blocked off and had to cross the roof as it is the only way to get out of the yard of the residence.
Sources: Alderman JP Smith, City of Cape Town and Jermaine Carelse, spokesperson, City of Cape Town Fire and Rescue Service |
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