The roadways can be hazardous. Sometimes unexpected things happen on the roadways. Because unexpected things occur on the roadways, it is of the utmost importance that drivers pay full attention to driving and avoid distracted driving behaviors. Recently, an off duty City of Oak Creek firefighter sprung into action after noticing something on the roadway.

On February 17, 2020, the off duty firefighter was traveling on Interstate 94 in Illinois with his family when they noticed something unexpected on the road. There was a car that had pulled off into the emergency lane of the interstate. The driver of the vehicle was outside the vehicle trying to wave someone down for assistance. The driver of the vehicle was holding something wrapped in a blanket.

The off duty firefighter pulled his car over. Upon pulling over and getting out of the vehicle, the firefighter was handed the 3 month old baby that was wrapped in the blanket. The baby was not breathing and did not have a pulse. The firefighter put the baby on top of the hood of the car and started to perform CPR on the baby. After performing about two minutes of CPR, the baby began to breathe again and cry. The firefighter has been a firefighter for 30 years and a paramedic for 20 years. Prior the incident, the firefighter had recently been recertified in CPR. The firefighter was honored on February 28, 2020 for the actions he took to save the child’s life.

This incident shows the importance of paying attention while driving. Because the firefighter was paying attention to what was going on on the roadways, he was able to spring into action to help the woman and her baby.