By James HoreAN overjoyed father has thanked firefighters and a paramedic who helped his wife give birth in her car at a fire station forecourt.Allan and Lorraine King were driving to St John's Hospital, Chelmsford, when her waters broke, leaving the frantic couple no time to get to the maternity unit.

By James Hore

AN overjoyed father has thanked firefighters and a paramedic who helped his wife give birth in her car at a fire station forecourt.

Allan and Lorraine King were driving to St John's Hospital, Chelmsford, when her waters broke, leaving the frantic couple no time to get to the maternity unit.

But luckily, they were just about to pass Chelmsford Fire Station and were able to get the assistance of staff, including Amy Gilson, a pregnant member of blue watch.

With some help from Mrs Gilson, the mother-to-be was kept calm and reassured as the minutes ticked by until paramedics arrived.

Mrs King, from Chelmsford, then gave birth to Thomas, who weighed 9lb 8oz, a brother for three-year-old George, just 22 minutes after they had set off for the hospital on Friday.

Mr King, a security officer for Metropolitan Police, said: “We were just passing the fire station when it happened - if we had gone past there would have been no way we would have got to the hospital.

“After all the drama we actually left the hospital by 7pm that evening and he is doing really well. Amy and Rosie, the paramedic, did really well when they helped out. I am really grateful for their help.”

Mrs Gilson, 23, from Bocking, who is due to give birth in February, added: “The lady was in quite an amount of discomfort when she arrived here, so I got into the driver's side and asked her a few questions.

“She was not having any contractions, so with that I thought my job was to just make sure she was comfortable by talking to her asking questions to try to keep her calm and to take her mind off it.

“She was upset as to where she was having the baby and it was at that point she mentioned she had not experienced contractions during her first pregnancy.

“But by then the baby was showing, but then the paramedics pulled up - so she was knelt at her side, I was holding her hand and her husband was holding her hand as well.”

james.hore@eadt.co.uk