By Terri Langford
The Houston Chronicle
HOUSTON — Josh Rieves had seen his fellow firefighters deliver babies a few times during his four years with the Houston Fire Department. Friday morning, on one of the iciest days the city has seen in years, it was his turn.
And he did it in the back of an ambulance that was sliding on ice on MacGregor Way off U.S. 288.
“It happened very fast, very quick,” said Rieves, who was handling the delivery while his co-worker, firefighter Ryan Machacek, was trying to regain control of the vehicle.
The two emergency medical technicians had been called from Station 46 to respond to a 5 a.m. crash on the U.S. 288 ramp off Loop 610.
When they got there, they found another ambulance unable to reach the couple because of the ice, and the couple’s sedan was hung up on the 288 guardrail. A pumper truck helped block traffic, and Rieves and Machacek were able to get to the expectant mother and her husband.
“His wife was in labor at the time, and he was taking her into Ben Taub,” explained Machacek.
After he put her in the back of the ambulance, the woman kept telling Rieves and her husband that the baby was going to arrive at any second.
“She was pretty adamant, saying the baby was coming,” Rieves said. “They seemed pretty sure the baby was fixing to come any minute.”
He shouted at Machacek to pull over. “I told him I needed his help.”
Worthwhile experience
But Machacek had problems of his own to deal with. The ambulance began sliding on the ice at the MacGregor Way exit off U.S. 288, forcing him to shout back at Rieves: “We’re sliding out!”
Machacek handled the skid so well that no one in the back could tell they were out of control, his partner said.
“None of us knew it until he said something,” said Rieves.
Once he regained control of the vehicle, Machacek pulled over. But by the time he had reached the back of the ambulance, the baby boy had been delivered, and Rieves was clamping the umbilical cord. Both baby and mom were fine.
Federal patient privacy health laws prevent the firefighters or the hospital from releasing the couple’s names.
The two EMTs chalked up the day’s excitement as just part of their job.
Even so, Rieves admitted, “It was a good ending to the shift.”
In a few months, Rieves may have some tips to offer in the delivery room when his wife, Candise, delivers their first child. They’re expecting a boy in June.
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