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Crime & Safety

Fire Officials All Smiles After Birth In Brookfield Square Parking Lot

Rescue personnel who arrived on scene are described as pretty emotional ... pretty speechless.

On the majority of emergency calls, rescue workers are responding to help those that are having one of the worst days of their lives.

That was not the case on Nov. 30, when the City of Brookfield Fire Department Station 3 received a call to respond to a parking lot at Brookfield Square mall. 

"We got a call for a woman that was ready to give birth … that birth was imminent," said Fire Department Lt. John Price. "We heard that before and we went like it was really going to be, but most of the time there is still plenty of time." 

On the west side of the mall, at about 1:45 p.m., fire and rescue personnel found a woman lying on a towel next to passenger side door of her 2003 Honda Accord.

"We got the cot all ready to mom up on it and she said 'I'm not moving, I'm going to have this baby right now,'" Price said. "That surprised me." 

Moments later, with her husband Scott by her side, Danielle Goehner gave birth to a baby girl.

"What struck me was how calm mother was. She was pretty much in control of everything," Price said.

A healthy baby girl named Eliana Jones Goehner was 5 pounds, 7 ounces and 19 inches long. She was early by 13 days.

"Mom did all of the work. We were just there really, when it all boils down," Price said.

Price has been in this line of work for 34 years.

"It was awesome to be a part of something so special like that," he said. "As a professional, that is everyone's hope and dream to have something like that happen. It was pretty special. It was pretty overwhelming."

Four other rescue workers, who responded to the scene, were all smiles, Price said.

"I don't know if I saw any tears, but the guys would be upset if I said that, it was pretty emotional and everyone was pretty speechless," he said.

"We are very proud of the paramedics and EMT's and the skills they displayed in delivery of the baby and taking care of the mother," Brookfield Fire Chief Charlie Myers said in an email.
 
"It was a very different (call) than what we normally go on," he said. "We normally go on where someone is having the worst day of their life … it's rare that you are going to an emergency medical call that turns out to be bringing life into this world."

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