Overview
- Racine Fire Department reported a second lawful surrender at its Safe Haven Baby Box, with on-duty firefighters and EMS assessing the infant as healthy and placing the child into child protective services custody.
- Central Campbell Fire District in Cold Spring, Kentucky, opened a Safe Haven Baby Box that became the state’s 71st unit as local fundraisers covered the roughly $15,000 cost to install the technology.
- Each box is climate-controlled and monitored 24/7 and triggers a silent alarm that immediately notifies first responders so medical care can reach a surrendered infant within minutes.
- The installing group, Safe Haven Baby Boxes, says it has helped with about 70 safe surrenders and more than 170 handoffs since 2016, and its on-box hotline has taken thousands of calls from families seeking help.
- Local officials say the devices give parents an anonymous, prosecution-free legal option under state safe-haven laws and officials expect continued installation as jurisdictions work toward broader coverage and fewer unsafe abandonments.