Baby successfully delivered on highway

VANLUE — Hanco and the Vanlue Fire Department put their skills to the test Tuesday morning as they delivered a baby — on the side of the highway. About 8 a.m. Tuesday, the Vanlue Fire Department and Hanco were dispatched to Ohio 15 near County Road 169 for a report of a female in labor in a vehicle on a roadway. While EMS units were on the way to the scene, they were advised the passenger believed the birth of the baby was imminent. Hanco EMS Chief Kent Appelhans said he got out of the ambulance and ran across the highway to get to the scene faster. He's helped to deliver babies before, but never in the front seat of a vehicle. "Usually we get there and the kid decides to wait," Appelhans said. "This one did not." The experience was something of a trial by fire for the Vanlue Fire Department. Steve Baum, Vanlue Fire Chief said he's been in the position for over 40 years and hadn't had the opportunity to help deliver a child before this week. "As long as I've been a part of the department, we've never delivered a baby," Baum said. "We've had suspected labor before, but they were transported to the hospital before the birth of the baby. Never a hands-on experience." Baum also said that not every call turns out well but he and the rest of the Vanlue Fire Department and Hanco were honored to help bring a child into the world. Mother and child were later transported to Blanchard Valley Health System in Findlay to recover. The Courier attempted to contact the mother of the baby, but had not received a response by deadline Thursday.