Firefighters baby-sit after medical emergency sent 2 parents to the hospital

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Firefighters stepped up and took on baby-sitting duties after two parents were rushed to the hospital.

"Dispatch for a medical call, and we got there -- the patient needed to be transported, along with his wife, so both parents had to leave with two children in the house," said a firefighter.

Firefighters with the Harrisburg Fire Department take their jobs very seriously, and are willing to step in and do whatever is necessary, even if it means baby-sitting.

"We all knew what needed to be done. We needed to get the family the medical help that they needed right away, and it just became natural that we're all ready to take care of the kids until Grandma and Grandpa were able to get there and take over," a firefighter said.

Grandma and Grandpa were 45 minutes away, so the firefighters with Engine 3 decided they would take over and try to keep the 1-year-old and 7-year-old entertained during a stressful situation.

"We played Hot Wheels with the 7-year-old," said a firefighter.

"(Took him) around the block, pushed him in his little car, kept him occupied," said a firefighter.

None of the firefighters have children of their own, but they do have experience putting smiles on children's faces. In September of 2018, they threw a special birthday party for 3-year-old Jackson, whose friends canceled on him.

"It really became a much bigger deal than we expected because it was something that wasn't a big deal to us. We were just there to take care of Jackson and help him have a good day and everybody in the whole community really appreciated it," said a firefighter.