A special, surprise delivery Lynbrook-s fire chief assists birth of Lynbrook's newest resident

      When Julie and her husband Erik of Hampton Road, Lynbrook realized she would never make it to the hospital in time to deliver her baby, they put in an emergency telephone call to 911. Crowley, out running errands that morning, was the first to respond to the call which came in as impending labor.
      When I got to the house, the father was on the front lawn, awaiting help, said Crowley, who quickly ran into the house, but found the bedrooms empty. He located the distressed mother-to-be in the bathroom, in the middle of hard labor.
      She was on the tile floor screaming for help, said Crowley. The first thing I said was, ÔYou have to wait for the ambulance, you can-t have the baby here,- but I knew I had to do something fast.
      The chief, who had never assisted a birth before, assessed the situation and saw that the baby-s head was already crowning.
      There was no way she was going to be able to wait until the ambulance arrived, said Crowley. And I-m not going to lie, I was panicking!
      Although panicked, Crowley remained outwardly calm and took control of the situation, while he silently prayed for the ambulance to arrive.
       I took off my jewelry, washed my hands and grabbed a large towel, laughed Crowley.
      Officers Kevin Hughes and Mark Villela from the Lynbrook Police Department suddenly appeared to assist Crowley, but the close quarters in the bathroom did not allow the officers entrance. It was just as well, Hughes had no previous experience delivering a baby and Vilella had assisted a birth, just once, years before.
      The three men, now joined by Erik, filled the narrow bathroom with words of reassurance directed at the mother and within minutes, the baby girl touched down on the bath towel Crowley was holding. His natural instinct took over and he held the little bundle close to him.       
      I was concerned that I had nothing to suction her with, so I started rubbing her clean with the towel, said Crowley. She started to cry and I knew everything was okay.
      The Lynbrook Fire Department ambulance personnel took over from there, with a medical volunteer clamping the umbilical chord while the baby nestled in Crowley-s arms. The proud new father cut the umbilical chord and Crowley handed the happy couple their newborn. Mother, father and their new baby girl were taken to South Nassau Communities Hospital by ambulance.
      "It was a little unorthodox, but such a beautiful birth," said Julie. "It really was a community birth and I believe in community."      Julie and Erik's contribution to the community weighed in at 9 pounds, 12 ounces and is 22 inches long and joins older brother Michael who is four-years-old.
      "The birth was the most awe inspiring event of our lives," said proud father Erik.
       For Crowley, it was an exciting way to end his reign as chief. A hazardous materials specialist for the Nassau County Fire Marshall-s Office, he did not have such an active role in the birth of his own, nearly grown children, Christopher, 20, and Tara 17.
      This was not the ideal situation for childbirth, said Crowley. "But, it was a great feeling to have that little baby in my arms. It was overwhelming.
      Just two days after the special delivery and only four days before he stepped down as chief of the fire department, Crowley proudly affixed a new sticker to the Lynbrook Fire Department chief-s car -- a stork holding a pink blanket.