'It was a pretty exciting and happy event': Paramedics deliver baby on Highway 21

A Sherwood Park couple welcomed their newest addition on the side of Highway 21 with the help of local paramedics.

Baby Emi was born safe and healthy in the back of a Strathcona County ambulance on March 9.

Lee Dombrosky was one of the firefighter/advance care paramedics on shift when the call came in from Emi's mom.

"We met up with the mom on her way to the hospital and we didn't quite make it so she delivered baby Emi while we were in the ambulance," said Dombrosky.

"This is the first one that's been delivered in the ambulance so it was a pretty exciting and happy event to be a part of," he said.

Seven crew members from the Strathcona station were on the call together, Dombrosky said it was nice for them to all be a part of it.

"And to welcome a new little one into the world was pretty special," said Dombrosky.

On Tuesday, Emi and her parents stopped by the fire station to visit the crew on their day shift.

"Sometimes it's more of… not good events that you're bringing people into the hospital and once you drop them off you really don't hear much from them after the fact, so to have the mom and dad stop by with their new baby was a really exciting part of our day."

Dombrosky said it was one of the more positive calls the crew has done in the past few years.

"After a couple years of being in the pandemic and that sort of thing, it's been stressful for everybody, so it was fun to be a part of that for sure."