Off-duty Cork fireman helps woman in labour during Storm Ellen

A Cork City Fire Officer helped deliver one of two babies born during Storm Ellen on his way home from a shift with the fire service.

Second officer Victor Shine said it has been a busy night on Wednesday with over 35 call-outs to trees down with some involving cars and caravans missing roofs, but the biggest emergency he came across was when he was off-duty.

Victor was heading home after a days work when he came across a woman in labour in her car near Crosshaven.

Describing his response, Mr Shine said he “rolled up his sleeves” and got to work assisting the mother, while also alerting the Crosshaven Fire Service.

“I came across that lady first, in labour in the car, access out of Crosshaven was completely blocked by trees,in all directions, so we just handled the situation until the ambulance arrived.” While the woman was taken to hospital to have her baby boy, Victor said he had been trying to cajoling the woman to call the child after him or “something really exciting” like Storm.

“I was trying to encourage her to use my name or storm or something really exciting.”