Jim Reeder

Calm erupted with the jubilant sound of a baby's first breath.

Jim Reeder, Butler city firefighter and EMT, is being credited with saving a baby girl's life after a premature delivery Monday.

The 911 call was heard at 2:20 p.m. directing the emergency responders to the West End neighborhood home.

Reeder said he felt nervous on the drive to the scene.

“(The baby) was thought to have been breathing, and then (she) was not,” Reeder said. “You don't like to hear about that from any kind of call, let alone child calls.”

Lt. Don Crawford said the department encounters more calls regarding the elderly. He said calls to treat children are rare.

“With kids, it's more stressful because they're smaller, they're younger and they have their whole lives ahead of them,” Crawford said.

He said Reeder handled himself well.

“He did it very professionally and calmly,” Crawford said. “Everything went very well.”

Reeder said he just followed his training.

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