Chattanooga fire lieutenant helps deliver baby on highway—just hours after childbirth training
Chattanooga Fire Department via local3news.com
Sometimes life has a way of putting us exactly where we’re needed most. For one Chattanooga, Tennessee Fire Department lieutenant, that moment came just hours after finishing childbirth training.
Lt. Alexander Efiom was on duty on August 14 when he got the call of a lifetime. A couple en route to the hospital had to pull over on I-75 around 1 a.m. when the mother went into labor and delivered a baby girl in the car. They quickly made their way to a nearby gas station on Gunbarrel Road, where they met Efiom.
For parents, the thought of delivering on the side of the highway can be terrifying. But in this family’s case, the right person was in the right place at exactly the right time. Efiom, who had just hours earlier completed an OB training class with his crew, knew exactly what to do.
He cleared newborn Emma Lucille’s airway, checked her vital signs, and reassured the exhausted mom until Hamilton County EMS arrived. His steady presence helped turn a chaotic roadside birth into a safe, unforgettable beginning.
Even more touching? Efiom is a proud girl dad himself, which CFD officials say made being part of this moment especially meaningful.
According to ABC, the family later sent him a heartfelt message of gratitude: “Thanks for all you did and thanks for all you do on a daily basis.”
Both mom and baby are doing well, according to CFD officials. And for parents everywhere, this story is a reminder of something deeply reassuring: even in the most unexpected and overwhelming moments, community helpers like Efiom are ready to step in.
Related: 911 dispatcher reunites with New Hampshire family after life-changing emergency birth
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