A 36-year-old firefighter was so intent on helping a woman in labor in Taoyuan County that he committed an incredible oversight — he did not realize that the woman was his wife.
Chen Min-nan (陳敏男), an emergency medical technician and division chief at the Taoyuan County Fire Bureau, responding to an emergency call to the fire department from a pedestrian who reported seeing a pregnant woman in pain.
Chen rushed to a public park near his home to help and as he began performing the standard rescue procedures, he could not help saying: “It is incredible how much you look like my wife. Don’t worry, we will take good care of you, because we are professionally trained emergency medical technicians.”
“Are you tired? It’s your daughter who is coming,” Chen quoted his wife as saying.
He said that her comment had shocked him “awake” and it was then that he realized who she was.
Chen said that the emergency response team had arrived at the park at 8:30pm and it was quite dark. It also did not occur to him that the woman could be his wife because her due date was not for a couple of weeks, he said.
Chen’s wife gave birth after being rushed to a nearby hospital.
Chen said that helping a family member during an emergency call is an unusual experience, but that he has had four of them already, including the incident with his wife.
Chen said he was called on to drive his mother to the hospital three times. She died after the third trip.
Being a firefighter has taught him that “nothing in life is permanent,” Chen said, adding that the job has made him cherish his family more and leaves him feeling fulfilled.
Chen said he has been on the job for 14 years and answered more than 4,000 emergency calls.
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