Child born at Wet n Wild Emerald Pointe in Greensboro

EMS responded around 1 p.m. with an ambulance after a child was born Saturday at Wet 'n Wild Emerald Pointe in Greensboro. The park said the guest was on site that day, staff responded immediately and helped local first responders, and both the guest and child were doing well. The unusual scene unfolded at one of Guilford County’s best-known summer attractions on South Holden Road, where the water park was open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The park did not say where on the property the birth happened, exactly when it occurred or whether the family was taken to a hospital. Instead, its statement focused on emergency response and staff training. “The health and safety of our guests is always our top priority,” the park said, adding that it employs hundreds of team members trained to respond to a wide range of situations.

That training was put to the test during a busy operating day at a place built for large crowds. Wet 'n Wild Emerald Pointe has been part of Greensboro for more than 40 years and says it offers more than 40 family-friendly attractions. A birth at the park immediately drew attention because it happened in public, in the middle of summer activity, rather than in a clinic or home setting.

The quick response and the positive update on the mother and child turned what could have been a chaotic call into a story about preparedness at major local attractions. At a venue like Wet 'n Wild Emerald Pointe, emergency planning has to cover far more than slides and lifeguards. It has to account for medical crises, injuries and the kind of unexpected event that can unfold in seconds on a crowded summer afternoon.