SHELBY COUNTY, Tenn. — A north Shelby County couple’s home was turned into a delivery room when first responders helped the expectant parents deliver their newborn son.

There was a reunion for some Shelby County first responders who helped welcome newborn Sawyer Harp into the world on April 3.

“It’s a pretty big moment to have a baby, and they’re all here with us, and also they saw more of me than I would have wanted them to see, but it’s okay,” said Sawyer’s mom Makenzie Harp.

Makenzie Harp had been to the hospital Sunday night.

“My contractions were progressing, but other things were not and so they sent us home,” she said.

Monday morning, she alerted her husband, Josh, the latest addition to their family wasn’t going to wait for a hospital delivery room. 

“I didn’t want to have him in the car so we decided we’re going to do it right here at home,” Makenzie said.

Josh called 911, and within minutes first responders from Station 60 were on the way.

“I’d gotten some towels, and I was searching for clean string, don’t know what for yet, but I was searching for that. Luckily, the EMTs got here, and they were able to finish everything,” Josh recalled.

Heading up the delivery team was Driver/Paramedic Dustin Boulden. He said it was clear when they arrived that there was no time to waste.

“I’ve been on dozens of calls for ‘imminent delivery.’ This was the only one that was truly imminent,” Boulden said. “When I walked in, the first thing that Ms. Harp said to me was that her water had just broken. The baby was coming. At that point, we knew this was going to happen here.” 

After one more push, little Sawyer was ready to see the world. It was a first for the Harp family and the crew from Station 60.        

“Even the people on our crew didn’t know it was my first time and I didn’t know that none of them had never done it before until we got back to the station,” Boulden said.

Brent Perkins with the Shelby County Fire Department told WREG in the hundreds of birth-related calls dispatchers receive, it is very rare for County first responders to have to deliver a baby outside of the hospital, and may happen once every few years.