Suffolk Executive Bellone Announces FRES Dispatcher Assists In Baby Delivery By Phone
Suffolk County, NY - May 30, 2018 - County Executive Steve Bellone today announced that Gerard Boucher, a Suffolk County Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services dispatcher, assisted a father and mother in the delivery of their child this morning. Boucher is a 10-year veteran of the department.
“The highly trained professionals that make up our Department of Fire Rescue and Emergency Services are exceptional public servants and Dispatcher Boucher is a perfect example of that,” said Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone. “These everyday heroes continuously face some of the most stressful and difficult situations imaginable and I applaud them for their continued work and service to the residents of Suffolk County."
FRES Dispatcher Gerard Boucher received a 911 call at 7:54 a.m. from the husband of a woman who was in active labor in their Stony Brook home. While Boucher has taken tens of thousands of emergency calls in his career, this was Boucher’s first call regarding the imminent delivery of a baby. To aid him in talking the family through the delivery, Boucher used his countless hours of dispatch experience and his background as a volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician.
Boucher worked with the parents to determine the immediacy of the delivery, and once considered imminent, instructed the father through the process. The father previously delivered the couple’s second child, alone, unexpectedly. The baby girl was successfully delivered at 8:07 a.m., prior to the arrival of first responders.
The mother and baby, both healthy, were transported by the Setauket Fire Department to Stony Brook University Hospital.
For further information on this incident contact Suffolk County Department of Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Services – David Rubin at 631-852-4382.