Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 News
    
        Photos

    Week in Photos

    Air Force TV

    Commentaries

    Features

    Art

    About Us
    
        Air Force Senior Leaders
    
        SECAF

    CSAF

    CMSAF

    Biographies

    Fact Sheets

    SECAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library
    
        CSAF Leadership Library 2022

    CSAF Leadership Library 2021

    CSAF Reading List Pre-2020 Archive
    
        2018 CSAF Reading List

    2017 CSAF Reading List

    2016 CSAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library 2023

    CMSAF Leadership Library

    50 Years of the CMSAF

    Adjunct Professors

    Air Force Strategic Documents

    Arctic Strategy

    Empowered Airmen

    State Licensure Portability

    Careers

    AF Federal Advisory Committees

    AF 75th Anniversary

    Policy Updates

    AF Content Management

    Contact Us

    AF Sites
    
        Site RegistrationU.S. Air Force LogoAir Force

        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      Timothy Panzer, a 96th Civil Engineer Group fire captain, holds the baby he helped deliver while the mother, Leana Zimmerman, looks on June 20, 2016, at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. Panzer, along with Kyle Vaughn, Mark Merrill and Walter Carney, also 96th CEG firefighters, helped deliver Luca Zimmerman in base housing after responding to a 911 call. (U.S. Air Force photo/Ilka Cole)Firefighters help deliver baby in Eglin base housing
                        
                        
                        Timothy Panzer, a 96th Civil Engineer Group fire captain, holds the baby he helped deliver while the mother, Leana Zimmerman, looks on June 20, 2016, at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. Panzer, along with Kyle Vaughn, Mark Merrill and Walter Carney, also 96th CEG firefighters, helped deliver Luca Zimmerman in base housing after responding to a 911 call. (U.S. Air Force photo/Ilka Cole)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
        


        Kyle Vaughn, Timothy Panzer, Mark Merrill and Walter Carney, all 96th Civil Engineer Group firefighters, stand with Airman 1st Class Josiah Zimmerman, his wife, Leana, and their children during a visit June 20, 2016, at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The firefighters helped the Zimmermans deliver their baby boy, Luca, at their home on base after responding to a 911 call. (U.S. Air Force photo/Ilka Cole)Firefighters help deliver baby in Eglin base housing
                        
                        
                        Kyle Vaughn, Timothy Panzer, Mark Merrill and Walter Carney, all 96th Civil Engineer Group firefighters, stand with Airman 1st Class Josiah Zimmerman, his wife, Leana, and their children during a visit June 20, 2016, at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The firefighters helped the Zimmermans deliver their baby boy, Luca, at their home on base after responding to a 911 call. (U.S. Air Force photo/Ilka Cole)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res

Firefighters help deliver baby in Eglin base housingPublished June 24, 2016
                    
                    By Ilka Cole
                    
                    
                    Team Eglin Public Affairs
            **EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS)  --**Base firefighters helped deliver a baby boy after dispatchers answered an early morning 911 call from base housing here June 13.When firefighters arrived, Leana Zimmerman, now a mother of two, was in her living room hunched over on the floor in active labor."Things happened faster than we expected," Zimmerman said. "Once we were downstairs, my husband told me to get into the car and I said, 'No, no, the baby is coming. This is happening right here, right now.'"Leana's husband, Airman 1st Class Josiah Zimmerman, prepared to help his wife deliver their baby while on the phone with emergency dispatch."The baby's head was already through the birth canal and facing me," said Josiah, an air traffic controller apprentice with the 96th Operations Support Squadron. "Within minutes, the baby was born in the firefighter's hands and I was cutting the umbilical cord with their help."The 26-year-old mother said the firefighters were calm, gentle and encouraging during the baby's birth."Although I only remember seeing their shoes, having the firefighters there was nice and reassuring," Leana said. "More importantly, they arrived at the perfect moment. I'm thankful they were there to ensure our baby was OK and take us to the hospital."The firefighters didn't even have time to don their sterile dressing kit when they saw the baby was on the way. They realized the newborn had not taken his first breath when Leana's last contraction pushed the baby out.Timothy Panzer, a 96th Civil Engineer Group fire captain, helped guide the baby out. He supported the baby's head when the shoulders exited along with the rest of his body. He cleared the baby’s airways and wrapped him to keep him warm."We train and exercise these types of scenarios regularly, but this was the first time I helped deliver a baby," Panzer said. "We are qualified emergency medical technicians at the basic level. We're able to assist with birthing and deal with obstetric emergencies."Thanks to the quick arrival of the well-trained firefighters and EMTs, Leana and her 7-pound, 6-ounce baby, Luca, are back home and doing well. "Hearing the baby's first cry was amazing. It was a rejuvenating experience," Panzer said. "This was magical. Several of us are fathers so we knew how special the moment was. We wanted to make sure Mom and Dad were well taken care of."AF family 



firefighters 



Eglin AFB 



AFMC 



baby Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                SecAF Kendall visits Bangor ANG Base
                    
                    Vice President Harris congratulates USAFA Class of ‘24
                    
                    Senate confirms Melissa Dalton as next Under Secretary of the Air Force
                    
                    ‘One Team, One Fight’: SecAF visits Keesler AFB
                    
                    SecAF Kendall experiences VISTA of future flight test at Edwards AFBInnovation
                AFSFC reaches final phase of fielding Model Defender gear
                    
                    Around the Air Force: PCS Allowances, Air Task Forces, All-Volunteer Force
                    
                    AFIMSC focuses I-WEPTAC topics on GPC solutions
                    
                    Optimizing AI, Air University hosts Artificial Intelligence Symposium
                    
                    AFIMSC tools deliver data-driven solutions across DAFMAJCOM News
                AFMC to expand AcqDemo workforce
                    
                    AFMC empowers small businesses for Air Force reoptimization
                    
                    Acquisition Instructor Course Class 25A open for nominations
                    
                    Air Guard leaders host 2024 Wing Leader Conference
                    
                    Referral bonuses aim to help fill mission-critical vacancies
 Quick Links
AccessibilityContact UsEqual OpportunityFOIA | Privacy | Section 508Information QualityInspector GeneralJAG Court-Martial DocketLink DisclaimerNo FEAR ActOpen GovernmentOSI Tip LinePlain LanguageQuestionsResilienceRSSSite MapVeterans Crisis LineCareers
Join the Air ForceAir Force BenefitsAir Force CareersAir Force ReserveAir National GuardCivilian ServiceConnect
            Get Social with Us
            
            Official United States Air Force Website
    Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil