There's a good chance Caroline Campbell always will remember where she was born.
She came into the world outside a West Ashley fire station around noon Sunday because she couldn't wait for her mother to make it to a hospital.
Johnny Campbell, her father, ran into some traffic on U.S. Highway 17 after driving from Hollywood. He knew he would never make it up the Glenn McConnell Parkway to St. Francis Hospital. So he called 911 and pulled into the St. Andrews fire station on Bees Ferry Road.
Capt. Patrick Henry, engineer Ken Chapel and firefighter Joe Udy had just gotten the 911 call and were running outside. They saw a Lexus sport utility and an excited-looking man knocking on the door. Sarah Campbell was leaning back in the passenger seat, looking uncomfortable.
Henry pulled out a tarp and draped it over the vehicle for privacy and sun protection. He and Udy leaned inside, while Chapel stood ready with an OB kit.
Chapel didn't have to wait long. Caroline popped out in less than five minutes. Udy caught her, clamped the cord, syringed out her nostrils, wrapped her and put her on her mother's stomach.
EMS arrived a few minutes later to take the mother and baby to St. Francis.
"It's not often we pull into a fire station and have them hand us a newly delivered baby girl," Charleston County EMS Senior Crew Chief Stacey Kraussman said. "Those guys did a fantastic job."
Henry, who has been a firefighter for more than 25 years, said it was the first time he's ever helped deliver a baby.
"It was a happy call," he said Tuesday. "The baby was healthy and crying. The mom was happy that the baby was healthy. The dad was happy that he got some help."
Udy downplayed their role. He's been in the delivery room six times with his own children.
"It's always a blessing to be involved in anything that's part of the miracle of life," Udy said. "It's a wonderful thing to be a part of, but I really don't feel like I personally did anything special."
Chapel said he will always remember the experience.
"Being in the fire service, most of the time you show up, you are meeting someone on some of the worst days of their lives, be it car accidents, fires or other bad situations," he said. "It was a wonderful change of pace to help someone have one of the best days of their life."
Sarah and the baby came home from the hospital Tuesday and are doing fine, Johnny Campbell said. They plan to come by the station sometime this week for photos with the firefighters, so Caroline's birth will become a lifetime memory.
"My wife kept saying you're not going to make it," he said. "I could tell the last time she meant it. I can't say I wasn't freaking out, but these guys made me feel a lot better. They were calm and cool."
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