WHEN Triple Zero operator Nathan Anderson started his shift on August 21, he didn’t think his first call of the day would be from a pregnant Warracknabeal woman whose baby was coming sooner than expected.
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That morning, Arshika “Rose” Shahi was born on the side of Blue Ribbon Road at 7.20am while her parents Ashish Shahi and Mahima Atwal were on their way to Wimmera Base Hospital in Horsham.
Mr Anderson said it was the first time he had helped deliver a baby on the side of a road.
“Like any call, you take it as it comes, but it was definitely a great way to start the day,” he said.
“It was the first time I’d done something like this, so it was a great honour to help the parents deliver the baby safe and sound.
“I want to congratulate them on doing a great job in such a unique situation.”
After making the Triple Zero call, the couple stopped on the side of the road – about halfway between Warracknabeal and Horsham.
Luckily for them, aged care nurse Bronwyn McIntyre was on her way to work when she saw Mr Shahi standing on the side of the road.
Mr Anderson said, despite nerves and connection difficulties, Mr Shahi and Ms Atwal remained calm in a stressful situation.
“When Brownwyn arrived, they gave the phone to her,” he said.
“They were lucky to have such great support and she was able to be a part of something really special.”
He wanted to remind people that Triple Zero needed to be kept to emergency situations.
“This was a perfect example of an emergency situation,” he said.
“When people call Triple Zero, it’s important that they are able to tell the operator what they’re calling for so we are able to organise the appropriate response for them.
“We are just normal people doing our best to help people in difficult situations.”
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