Pat McAfee, host of The Pat McAfee Show on ESPN, is soon to be a father of two.
As a firefighter, Kevin Rankin does more than just save lives — he delivers them, too.
Rankin, a firefighter-paramedic with the city of Oceanside Fire Department in California, has become a bit of a local celebrity after helping a new mom deliver her baby before making it to a hospital room.
In an interview with KGTV, Rankin described how a potentially stressful situation helped him earn a new nickname among his peers and colleagues.
“Once we drove to the hospital, everything was going smooth. As soon as we got to the hospital doors, that's when she started to deliver the baby,” he told the outlet.
“So, we all got to work, baby turned out perfect, gave it to mom, everything went smoothly,” he added.
As a result, his station and department now call him Stork — which is fitting, considering it’s his fourth baby delivered since 2022.
“Usually, we show up to the worst times of people's lives,” he told KGTV in a video shared on YouTube.
“This being probably the best call out there,” he added. “It's a lot more peaceful in your mind because you're like, OK, hey, all we got to do is deliver the baby, make sure baby’s OK, make sure mom’s OK.”
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He describes it as “the most beautiful thing” he has ever seen.
“When you're delivering a child, it's a game changer,” Rankin added.
In an Aug. 29 Instagram post, the Oceanside Fire Department shared photos of a recent party they threw for Rankin to celebrate the four babies he has helped deliver.
“This an incredible testament to his calm under pressure, skill, and dedication,” the department wrote in the caption. “Cheers to Kevin for being a true lifesaver (and baby whisperer)!”
Rankin's mom, Cindy, commented: "You all gave me a heart attack, I thought I was having quatruplets grand babies!! Proud Mom."
Rankin credits his firefighter training to preparing him for these moments
According to FireRescue1, firefighters are often asked to complete a physical ability test, a written exam and a psychological evaluation before graduating from a fire academy and becoming certified.
The academy is designed to prepare firefighters for just about anything they might encounter on a call.
“We have to be up on our skills on not only fires and traffic accidents, but medical aids, heart attacks, strokes, and delivering babies,” Battalion Chief Wes McGee of the Oceanside Fire Department told KGTV.
It’s that very training that Rankin credits for preparing him for days like the one he had one month ago.
“So, it just goes to show that our training that we're completing here in the city of Oceanside is working,” McGee said of Rankin’s heroic actions.
And while Rankin has yet to welcome a child of his own, he told KGTV that he’s looking forward to when that day comes.
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“I'm excited for that. But, I can wait a little bit, wait a little bit,” he told the outlet.
