The High Springs Fire Department (HSFD) sprang into action early Friday morning when firefighters delivered a baby girl in the station parking lot.

A mom and dad from Live Oak were en route to UF Shands Hospital just before 5 a.m. when they realized that the baby was on the way and they would not make it to Gainesville, according to an HSFD press release.  The couple dialed 911 and told the dispatcher they were close to the HSFD station.

“Our ‘B-shift’ crew, under the command of Captain Andy Burkhalter, recognized that the birth of an approximately 33-week-old baby girl was imminent and quickly jumped into action,” said HSFD spokesperson Kevin Mangan in the press release.

Paramedic Jon Friend was assisted by paramedic Jake Rhoden, and the two were able to remove the newborn girl from the birth canal. EMT Clinton Drake applied the cord lamps and paramedic Doug Hope assisted the father in cutting the cord.

“After the baby was born, I was speechless,” said Friend in the Friday press release. “It was an emotion you rarely feel with the job. It’s not every day you get to deliver a baby. It’s calls like this that make the job rewarding. I’ve been in a good mood all day, knowing we made a positive impact on someone’s life.”

After the birth, Alachua County Fire Rescue safely transported the mother and newborn to the hospital.