Blackfoot Fire Department fought garage fire and saved newborn with CPR in one day

BLACKFOOT — The Blackfoot Fire Department extinguished a garage fire and resuscitated a newborn back-to-back on Wednesday.

At about 12:30 p.m., the Blackfoot Fire Department responded to a garage fire in the 350 North area.

Two fire engines and one ambulance responded and controlled the fire in 10 minutes. No one was in the building at the time, and no one was injured. Blackfoot Fire Department Fire Chief Bryon Howell says a wood-burning stove likely started the fire.

The garage was a total loss, but the fire did not spread to the house.

While overhauling the garage fire incident, the fire department received another call at 1:45 p.m. for a woman in premature labor. An ambulance at the garage fire left and responded to the baby delivery call. The mother’s sister delivered the baby with the help of Bingham County Sheriff’s Office dispatchers over the phone.

Howell says the baby did not appear to be breathing when it was born, so they started rescue breathing. When an officer arrived, they did CPR until the ambulance arrived. The baby got a pulse and was taken to Grove Creek Medical Center. The mother was treated and released, and the infant was transferred to Portneuf Medical Center in Pocatello.

Fire department responders never know what to expect each day, and even though baby deliveries are rare, responders are trained and prepared to help.

“I think our team did a great job, from the dispatch to the response,” Howell said. “We’re really proud of our firefighters and EMTs and paramedics in the Blackfoot area.”

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