Breath of Life: Ark City Officer’s Quick Actions Save Infant

When a 6-week-old baby stopped breathing, Ark City Police Officer sprang into action. Read the heartwarming story of baby Nova’s rescue and recovery.

by Admin

Dec 5, 2025

For any parent, there is no moment more terrifying than realizing your child is silent when they should be making noise. In those chaotic seconds where every heartbeat counts, the arrival of a calm, trained professional can mean the difference between tragedy and a miracle. For one family in Kansas this November, that miracle arrived in the form of Master Police Officer Shannese McIntosh of the Arkansas City Police Department.

A Heart-Stopping Emergency

On November 12, 2025, a frantic call went out to first responders in Arkansas City KS news channels. A six-week-old baby, little Nova Raie, was unresponsive. She wasn’t breathing and, terrifyingly, she had no pulse.

In medical emergencies involving infants, the window for survival is incredibly small. Officer McIntosh was dispatched to the scene and arrived to find a situation that every first responder trains for but hopes to never encounter. The infant was lifeless, and the family was in distress. With no time to wait for an ambulance to arrive, Officer McIntosh knew she was the baby's best hope.

Acting Fast to Restore the Breath of Life

MPO McIntosh wasted no time. Relying on her training in emergency life-saving techniques, she immediately began performing infant CPR on the tiny child. As the department later noted, she gave the baby "every possible chance" to survive.

The moments that followed were intense. Nova was loaded into an ambulance for transport to South Central Kansas Medical Center. It was during this ride that the tension finally broke. According to reports, Officer McIntosh heard a sound that was better than any music: the baby cried. It was a cry of relief, a signal that air was returning to her lungs and that the saving a life efforts had worked.

A Reunion Full of Smiles

Nova was stabilized and later flown to Wichita for additional care, but the critical work had already been done on the scene. Today, baby Nova Raie is doing great, and the scary moments of November have been replaced with gratitude. Once Nova was released from the hospital, she and her mother paid a special visit to the police station to thank the officer who saved her life.

Photos from the visit show a beautiful side of police compassion. Officer McIntosh is seen smiling warmly, holding Nova and bottle-feeding her—a stark contrast to the high-pressure situation of their first meeting. The department expressed how much this visit meant to the team, stating they were "overjoyed" to see Nova healthy. It is a perfect example of police officer kindness and the deep bonds that form between officers and the residents they serve.

The Human Heart Behind the Badge

Stories like this remind us that policing is about so much more than enforcing laws; it is about protecting the vulnerable when they cannot protect themselves. Officer McIntosh’s actions exemplify the best of police community service—bravery in the face of crisis and tenderness in the aftermath. These first responder heroes walk among us every day, ready to change a life in an instant.

Would you like to read more stories about cops saving lives? Check out our archive of heroic rescues.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Why do police officers respond to medical emergencies?

Police officers often patrol specific neighborhoods, meaning they are frequently closer to an emergency scene than an ambulance dispatch center. In critical situations where brain function is at risk, such as cardiac arrest or airway obstruction, shaving minutes off the response time is vital. Officers are dispatched as first responder heroes to stabilize patients until paramedics can take over.

2. Do all police officers know CPR?

Yes, certification in CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) and basic first aid is a standard requirement for law enforcement training academies across the United States. Officers must often recertify regularly to ensure they are ready to use emergency life-saving techniques immediately upon arriving at a scene.

3. How is infant CPR different from adult CPR?

Infant CPR requires a different technique because a baby's bones are more fragile and their bodies are smaller. Instead of using two hands for chest compressions, a rescuer typically uses two fingers or thumbs. The depth of the compression is also shallower, and rescue breaths must be much gentler to avoid damaging the infant's lungs.

4. Why is police community service important?

Police community service bridges the gap between the badge and the public. When officers engage in service—whether it's helping change a tire, organizing food drives, or checking on sick residents—it humanizes the force. It reinforces the idea that the police are there to help, not just to arrest, fostering a safer and more cooperative environment for everyone.

5. What should I do if an infant stops breathing?

If an infant stops breathing, call 911 immediately. If you are trained, begin CPR. If you are not trained, the 911 dispatcher can often guide you through the steps of saving a life over the phone until help arrives. Parents and caregivers are highly encouraged to take a certified infant CPR class to be prepared for such emergencies.