NORTH LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Seven North Las Vegas firefighters were honored Thursday morning for the life-saving efforts they performed on a newborn baby who suffered a medical emergency in June.
During a small and private ceremony at Fire Station 57 in North Las Vegas, the seven firefighters received an award and a small medal for their efforts.
“Saving the life of a newborn baby who can live a long, happy and healthy life – that’s just incredible,” said one of the firefighters.
On the morning of June 30, Heather Adkinson went into premature labor.
“We called our birth team, so we had a midwife and also a doula, to figure out what we should do… we’re getting a birth check, can we go in right away?” said Kyle Adkinson, the newborn’s father.
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But after a few hours, Heather’s contractions became stronger and eventually labor began.
Kyle said they called the birth team to inform them of the incident, and by the time he was getting the family car ready to take Heather to the birth center, it was too late because baby Grace was already on the run.
“We were about to put Heather in the car when she said, ‘We’re not going to make it,’ which in hindsight was probably a really good idea. I think it was about 10 to 15 minutes from that point until Grace was born,” Kyle said.
“So we called everyone and sent them to our house. And it became clear that Grace was going to come before anyone else. So we got on the phone with our midwife and basically talked about labor and delivery. When she had the crown, it became clear something was wrong.”
Baby Grace suffered cardiac arrest and needed immediate oxygen.
“Her face was sticking out and she wasn’t breathing. That’s when we called 911,” Kyle said.
He said he had already begun CPR in the few minutes it took for firefighters and paramedics to arrive.
“When we got there, the baby was still blue,” said Jesus Garcia, a firefighter and paramedic who arrived at the scene.
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The firefighters finally managed to stabilize Grace’s condition and take mother and baby to the hospital.
Baby Grace remains in the hospital and will receive medical treatment for the next 15 days.
“I truly believe that without them, my daughter would be dead. They came here to the hospital, gave her life-saving care and made sure she stayed alive and could come home,” Kyle said.
“They did another EEG and an MRI and everything about her brain was normal,” Kyle said. “As far as her brain goes, she was eating well and doing normal baby things. Things you wouldn’t expect from a child who has been through such trauma, and I think that’s why these people responded so quickly.”
Garcia said he was grateful to have been able to help save baby Grace’s life.
“It’s definitely a great feeling to know that we’re making a difference,” Garcia said. “Everyone volunteers for this job to save a life, to help a life, to help a community… the fact that we were able to give someone a chance at life is a huge blessing and it’s a good thing that we were able to do.”
WATCH HERE: Firefighters honored for life-saving efforts for baby Grace.
North Las Vegas firefighters honored for their life-saving efforts for baby Grace
