Stopped Ambulance, 119 Responders' Cheerful 'Dereliction of Duty'

Emergency Delivery Performed After Pregnant Woman's Amniotic Fluid Breaks During Hospital Transfer

The 119 ambulance that rushed to the scene stopped abruptly while on the way to the hospital requested by the caller. Inside the stopped ambulance, the paramedics began a cheerful 'dereliction of duty.'

A woman in her 30s who had called '119' feeling labor pains safely gave birth inside the ambulance with the unexpected help of a 'sanpa' (traditional midwife).

According to the Ulsan Fire Headquarters, at around 5:53 a.m. on the 12th, they received a report from an apartment in Ulju-gun saying, "The baby seems about to come out."

Fire Sergeant Park Dong-geun, Firefighter Kim Seong-gyun, and Firefighter Bae Jeong-hyeon from the Eonyang 119 Safety Center of the Ulju Fire Station rushed to the apartment and put the pregnant woman, Ms. A, into the ambulance.

Ms. A, who was due to give birth at the end of this month, was experiencing early labor pains. The paramedics hurriedly drove to the hospital, but Ms. A's amniotic fluid broke inside the ambulance.

Paramedics are responding to an emergency delivery inside an ambulance. [Image source=Ulsan Fire Department]

The paramedics judged that delivery was imminent, stopped the ambulance at a nearby gas station, and with Ms. A's consent, responded to the emergency delivery.

After the paramedics completed emergency care, including cutting the umbilical cord, the healthy cries of a baby boy were heard. They then drove again and safely handed over the mother and infant to the hospital. Both mother and baby are reported to be in good health.

Firefighter Bae Jeong-hyeon said, "Although this was my first time experiencing such a situation as a paramedic, the special emergency training I had received was a great help," adding, "I am relieved that both the mother and baby are healthy."

Ms. A's son is one of the few citizens whose place of birth is recorded as a 119 ambulance rather than a hospital.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.