Baby Olive thanks the firefighters who delivered her

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

Falmouth couple Alice Hearle and Josh Beardmore say the dramatic arrival in May of their second child, Olive, is a story their daughter will share for the rest of her life.

When Alice’s waters broke a few days before her due date, she was checked at the Royal Cornwall Hospital (Treliske) in Truro.

The mobile hairdresser said: “Everything was fine so we were booked in for a 4pm induction the next day and came home to rest. In the morning, nothing much happened – just the odd slight contraction.

Being their second child, the couple was relaxed and thought they knew what was coming. “We just relaxed, walked on the beach,” Josh said. “Around 1pm, Alice called the midwives. Everything was fine, so they said to stick to the plan.”

But Alice’s work progressed rapidly. “Five minutes after I took the phone out I had this secondary water break with contractions every minute,” she said. “I couldn’t walk, I couldn’t talk.

Josh added: “I was in the car when Alice said, ‘I’ve got to push – the baby’s coming.’

Realizing they wouldn’t make it to Truro in time, Josh – a long-time RNLI lifeboat volunteer used to dealing with emergencies – quickly thought of a plan B.

He had heard news of a fire at Cockwells Boatyard and decided to head there in the hope of meeting firemen. “When the ambulance service told me to stop, I thought, ‘I know exactly where to go,'” he said.

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

Falmouth Blue Watch and Fire Investigation teams, dealing with the final stages of a blaze, swung into action.

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

The crew moved a fire truck in front of the car to block the view from the road. Firefighter Katie Hoskins handled the delivery while colleague Rosie Tonkin was on the phone with the ambulance service.

“If they were nervous, they didn’t show it at all,” said Alice. “They were so comforting and took control of the situation.

“I didn’t have time to worry. I was just in the zone – I wasn’t really thinking.”

Three pushes and the baby is out. “He cried right away, so I knew he was good.”

Baby Olive was born safely at 2.36pm on Thursday 16 May. Josh and Alice later took their newborn and two-year-old son Teddy to meet the crews.

“I wanted to thank them for being so calm and jumping the way they did,” Alice said. “One of the boys even wrote down the exact time Olive was born. Little things like this mean a lot.

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

Kath Billing, chief fire officer at Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service, said she was “immensely proud” of the crews, adding: “They are a testament to their service and their profession.”