Express delivery en route to Prince Albert hospital

By Alison Sandstrom

Every day on the job as a medical dispatcher is intense, but Thursday was especially exciting for a Prince Albert-based telecommunications team member.

She helped a woman give birth along the side of the highway.

Sarah Barczai with Parkland Ambulance says the father phoned in, unsure if they would make it to the hospital in time.

“We were prepping dad, and prepping mom just in case, and all of the sudden baby’s head was presenting,” Barczai told paNOW. “So we had them pull over on the side of the road and dad delivered baby right there on the highway.”

The baby girl was born five minutes after the couple called. Apparently it was quite a congested family affair with the couple’s other six children all in the vehicle.

Barczai credits the parents for keeping calm under pressure making the whole process go so smoothly.

“Every call we take ends up being someone’s most stressful moment of their life, and sometimes we get to save a life and that’s huge, but to actually bring a life into the world and help a family deliver their baby is a pretty special moment,” she said.

After the initial excitement of the birth, Barczai connected the parents to the Nipawin ambulance service, which took them to hospital.