A Chatham-Kent police officer is getting recognition for helping a resident deliver a baby, something Police Chief Gary Conn called an "extremely rare" occurrence.
It happened around 12:45 p.m. on July 9, when 911 dispatch got a call from a Chatham household about a woman in labour. EMS was dispatched to the residence, but Const. Gary Oriet was first on the scene, arriving at the house within a minute of the call.
When Oriet got to the home, the delivery was in full swing and the baby's head could already be seen coming out. Oriet helped in the delivery and coached the mother through the process. However, according to Conn, an already stressful moment was made even worse when a high-risk situation occurred.
"During the delivery, it was apparent the umbilical cord was wrapped around the baby's neck -- that can be very dangerous," explained Conn. "Constable Oriet was able to remove it from the baby's neck while safely delivering the baby and proudly handing the newborn baby girl to her relieved mother."
On Tuesday morning, Oriet received a letter of recognition from the deputy chief for his actions. He also received a "stork pin" from Donald MacLellan, general manager of Chatham-Kent EMS.
Conn said in his 25 years of policing, he had never seen a situation like this happen and praised Oriet for going above and beyond his call of duty. MacLellan said that even in the best of times, the task of assisting in birth can be overwhelming, but praised Oriet for his professionalism during the situation.
Shortly after the woman gave birth, EMS arrived on the scene. Several members of Chatham-Kent EMS also received a letter of recognition for their involvement in the delivery. Also recognized was Ambulance Communications Officer Kurtis LaBute, who was on the phone with Oriet during the birth, helping walk him through what to do.
LaBute, who has only been in the dispatch role for nine months, said some of his co-workers have been on the job for several years and have never experienced anything as he did.
"I was really nervous, obviously it's a pretty intense situation. It happened really quick and you don't really remember how the call went or anything that was said or went on," said LaBute. "It was a very positive experience, people don't usually call 911 for positive experiences. So it was good to see the outcome, the baby was healthy."
After receiving his letter of recognition, Oriet called it an "honour." However, he said he couldn't have done it without the help of EMS and dispatch to walk him through the experience.
"It was just truly amazing to have such a great team. The EMS dispatcher Kurtis walked me through absolutely everything that needed to be done. He was the calm voice on the other end of the phone that made sure everything went smoothly," explained Oriet. "There was some pretty scary moments but when you hear a baby cry, after everything is said and done, it's just an amazing experience."
According to police, baby Zara Valerie Rose Verbeek and parents, Katie and Chris, are all in good health.
"I can't speak for them but the reaction that I saw, everyone was very excited, everyone was very grateful that everything turned out well," said Oriet.
