Willy was in his office working on a new patio design on January 10th when his pager sounded at 3:25pm. The message: Covid positive in house / 2 mo infant /Breathing / Unconscious/ Fainting. Willie dropped what he was doing and was at the scene within minutes. A cold finger on her neck moments before had elicited unhappy but vigorous crying from baby “Jane.” Under the circumstances her crying was a welcome sign of adequate breathing. Nevertheless, her head soon drooped, and she was out again. Willy checked and found a good pulse. Did some cooing and rubbing of baby Jane’s torso. She stirred, cried some more, and was out again. This was Mom’s first child and although calm, clearly concerned as this was new and unusual behavior for baby Jane. She had eaten around noon as usual but had been lethargic, frequently passing out since. Mom reported both Mom and Dad had tested positive for Covid in recent weeks – hospitalization had not been required. Baby Jane had been her normal self until today.
By now the living room was getting crowded. KB ambulance with two EMTs had arrived. Paramedic from Windham was on scene. Grandma and Grandpa were hovering. Dad had arrived from work. Essentially oblivious to the commotion Baby Jane was now preoccupied, draining the contents of her bottle. Questions, suggestions and opinions buzzed around the room. What were the benefits vs. risk of transporting baby Jane to the hospital where there may be risk of exposure to other issues? Ultimately Baby Jane was transported via ambulance to Windham, accompanied by Mom, the EMTs and the Paramedic. Dad, Grandma and Grandpa followed behind. Willie took the Medic vehicle to the Firehouse, where it would later be retrieved by the medic. He and the other three responding members returned to the tasks they had been engaged in prior to their pagers sounding. An hour and 15 minutes had passed.
At the hospital Baby Jane was diagnosed with Covid, fever and low blood sugar. She was subsequently transported to Children’s Hospital where she remained overnight responding well to treatment, while Mom and Dad stood vigil. As of this writing she is home in Mom’s arms, doing well, draining another bottle of formula, enjoying her family’s love and attention.
Willy Leinbach moved, with his family, to Hampton from Pennsylvania about three years ago, where he had also been a volunteer Firefighter and Emergency Medical Responder. Not long after arriving in Hampton he joined the Hampton Fire Company (HFC) and has been an active member ever since, often one of the first on scene when the pagers sound. Hampton is lucky to have such community-minded people as Willie, ready to step forward and serve. Be like Willy.
During the month of January HFC members responded to twelve emergency dispatches, attended two training session, two business meetings, logging 115-man hours.
Fire House Dog