Knoxville, Tennessee, firefighters got an unexpected package delivered late Saturday at Fire Department Station 17 on Western Avenue.
When the alarm for the newly installed “Safe Haven” baby box went off late Saturday night, firefighters rushed to the box. What they found inside what an approximately 30-minute old, unharmed baby.
The box was installed in February, but this marks the first time it has been utilized. In Tennessee, mothers have two weeks to drop off babies at secure, designated locations without fear of prosecution. They also have 30 days to change their minds.
There are over 100 Safe Haven locations nationwide, with 25 babies being dropped off since 2015. It is a sad occurrence, but it certainly is better than a baby being born into an abusive situation, or worse, being thrown into a dumpster which was the case in Jackson, Tennessee earlier this year.
Assistant Fire Chief Mark Wilbanks commented on the box and can be heard describing its functionality and safety in the video below. He says: “It’s an extremely safe piece of apparatus we have here. Number one, the box locks to the elements on the outside. You don’t have to do anything except walk up to the box, simply open the handle, and place the baby inside. It’s completely anonymous.”
Thankfully, the box is heated and secured with magnetic locks from both sides. The person dropping off the baby also has access to resources and information on where to get help. After about three minutes, the alarm goes off and firefighters are notified of the presence of a child. Then CPS is called, and the child is taken to the hospital.
This is the only drop box of its kind in Tennessee, though other departments either have plans, or are considering boxes for their Stations.
Tennessee state law allows mothers to drop their babies within the first two weeks at hospitals and fire stations, but the lack of anonymity has discouraged many from doing so, opting instead for much more destructive actions like the dumpster mentioned previously.
Chief Wilbanks can be heard later in the embedded video saying: “We’re very thankful to have this as a resource to someone who may be in crisis and not know what to do with their child.”
It is sad that a mother and/or father can’t figure out how to love and care for an infant, but it is much better than having the child around drugs, or in an unsafe, abusive relationship.
The placement of these boxes will be particularly useful for both inner city, and impoverished, rural areas. Poverty and drug use isn’t the specific domain of either scenario, and giving parents an option to allow their newborn to have a better life, while sad, is somewhat honorable.
Thankfully, the newborn baby boy in Knoxville was completely unharmed, and CPS picked the child up and took him to the hospital. No other details are known about who dropped the baby, but the Knoxville Fire Department are certainly thankful the box was there.
Featured image screengrab from embedded YouTube video
"*" indicates required fields