Off-duty firefighter uses smartphone app to help save baby's life

WEST CHESTER TOWNSHIP, Ohio -- — An off-duty firefighter in Ohio is being praised for helping to save a baby's life, thanks in part to a smartphone app.

WLWT-TV reported that on Friday, Lt. David Eberhard was at a gas station in West Chester Township, Ohio, when he received an alert on his phone through the Active 911 app. The app sends first responders dispatch information directly to their smartphones, even if they are off-duty.

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The alert said an 11-month-old girl wasn't breathing at the Texas Roadhouse, which happened to be nearby. Eberhard was off-duty because of a shoulder injury he suffered on the job in September. However, the injury didn't stop Eberhard from rushing to the scene.

"I pulled out of the parking lot, pulled into the restaurant. When I got out of my car, I could hear the sirens on the way so I knew somebody was coming. By the time I got to the front door, I could see the medic unit pulling in the driveway," Eberhard said.

Eberhard said he located the baby inside and that her lips were blue and her breathing was shallow. He said he carried her outside as the medics were arriving.

The child was taken to West Chester Hospital, then transferred to Cincinnati Children's Hospital and Medical Center, where she was last listed in critical condition.

Cox Media Group