Woman Gives Birth on a Fireboat on Route to the Hospital After Going into Labor on a Small Island: ‘It Was Absolutely Panic’

A Washington woman delivered her baby on a fireboat after going into labor on a small island with no overnight ferry service.

Katherine Sims was on Anderson Island in Puget Sound, Pierce County, when labor began suddenly on the evening of Dec. 23, 2025.

“Panic, it was absolutely panic,” Sims told local outlet Fox 8 Live.

Volunteer EMTs and firefighters rushed to her after she called 911. When they arrived, they told Sims the baby was “absolutely” on the way.

But there was a problem: the last ferry to the mainland had already departed for the night. With the nearest hospital across the water, the team turned to the only option available — a fireboat, a specialized firefighting vessel built to respond on or near the water.

“They just scooped me up [and] put me down there [on the boat],” Sims said, per Fox 8 Live. “It was a whole process to get me down to the boat on the gurney in the first place. So, at that point, I’m realizing this is getting real, really, really fast.”

As the boat cut through the water, the ride grew tougher.

“Once you hit the wakes and with the contractions, it was ouch. It was absolutely painful as heck,” she added.

As they neared the mainland, Sims’ water broke — still on the vessel.

“Okay, this is DEFCON,” she recalled thinking. “There is no way I’m making it to any hospital at this point.”

She was right. Minutes later, Sims delivered her daughter.

“And then those next two pushes, it was like, I did this. I am so proud of myself,” she said.

Her baby girl, Halle, was born on the boat at 12:01 a.m. local time on Dec. 24, 2025, according to Fox 8 Live.

“This is definitely one of those things I will never forget,” Sims said, adding that she hopes Halle will one day understand just how many people stepped in to help bring her into the world.

“I want her to see who rallied in her corner and helped her get to where she’s at,” she said.

Capt. Megan Arzola, the EMS captain with Anderson Island Fire and Rescue who was on scene for the delivery, told Fox 8 Live the call is the kind responders hold onto.

“These are honestly the kind of calls that we like to have, that we like to remember,” Arzola said.

“You hear that first cry — that first squawk — and a nice big deep breath, and it’s just kind of like everybody kind of took a big deep breath in.”

Sims later reunited with the emergency crew on Jan. 7, and Anderson Island Fire and Rescue shared a photo from the visit on Facebook that same day.

“Today we were happy to welcome some special visitors to the station!” the department wrote.

“The Sims family, along with baby girl ‘Blueberry,’ stopped by to thank the first responders who helped them during their Christmas Eve fireboat ride. The Anderson Island Firefighters’ Association had a few small gifts ready for the family, and we were glad to see our new little islander again,” they added.