Cornwall firefighters reunited with baby born in car

A baby who was born in the back of a car has been reunited with firefighters who intervened to help her deliver.

Fire crews from Falmouth Blue Watch were battling a blaze when they were called to help with the delivery.

Alice Hearle and Josh Beardmore were on their way to the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro when Alice felt an overwhelming urge to push.

Baby Olive was born safe and well at 14:36 ​​BST on Thursday 16 May.

Members of Falmouth Blue Watch and a fire investigation team were at the Cockwells site in Penryn when they were asked to help.

The Falmouth couple said Olive’s dramatic arrival would be a story they could share for the rest of their lives.

Olive is their second child and they said they were quite relaxed about the birth, which was planned to take place at the Royal Cornwall Hospital.

Ms Hearle’s waters broke days before her due date and after going to hospital she was sent home to rest before a planned induction the following day.

But minutes after meeting her midwife on the phone at around 1pm BST that day, labor began to progress rapidly.

Mrs Hearle, a mobile hairdresser, said: “Five minutes after I spoke to her I had this secondary water break. I had contractions every minute.

“I couldn’t walk, I couldn’t talk.”

Mr Beadmore said: “I was in the car and just got down the road when Alice said, ‘I’ve got to push, the baby’s coming.’

Realizing they wouldn’t make it to Truro in time, the dad-to-be, who had dealt with emergencies as an RNLI volunteer, came up with a new plan.

Mr Beardmore said he was aware of a fire at the nearby Cockwells construction site and stopped there.

He said: “I waved the boys over and said, ‘I think I need a hand here, my missus is having a baby.’

“They were amazing. They dropped everything. The two girls were directly in the car and said, “You take care of Alice and we’ll take care of the baby.”

The crew even moved a fire engine to the front of the car to block the view from the road while firefighter Katie Hoskins handled the delivery and her colleague Rosie Tonkin stayed on the phone with the ambulance service.

“They were so comforting and took control of the situation,” Ms Hearle said.

“After about three pushes, the baby came out and cried right away, so I knew it was good.”

A few weeks after the birth, the couple took their newborn and two-year-old son, Teddy, to thank the crews.

“I wanted to thank them for being so calm and stepping in the way they did,” Ms Hearle said.

She said one of the crew even wrote down the exact time Olive was born.

“It wasn’t the water birth I had planned, but I feel really proud and positive about the birth,” she added.

Kath Billing, Chief Fire Officer at Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service, said: “I am so delighted that Olive has arrived safely and I am extremely proud of the crews who helped deliver her.

“They are a testament to their service and their profession.”