Newborn surrendered at Florida fire station is first baby saved by state's only 'Baby Box'
Newborn surrendered in Florida's only Safe Haven Baby Box
A newborn baby was recently surrendered at a fire station in Ocala thanks to a Safe Haven Baby Box — the only one in Florida. It's the first time an infant in the state has ever been saved by one of the devices. The founder of the organization was herself abandoned as a baby, and says these life-saving boxes are a way to keep unwanted infants from ending up in trash cans or dumpsters.
OCALA, Fla. - On the outside of a fire station in Ocala, Florida, there is a box built into the building with a sign that reads, "Safe Haven Baby Box Drop Off." It's a device that allows someone to give up an unwanted infant anonymously, no questions asked.
The box had been installed two years ago, and remains the only one in Florida. It had never been used — until now.
Authorities say a newborn baby was recently surrendered at the box, becoming the first infant in Florida ever saved by one of the devices.
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Officials pose next to the Safe Haven Baby Box on the outside of the fire station in Ocala, Florida. (Photo: Ocala Fire Rescue)
Monica Kelsey, the founder of the Safe Haven Baby Boxes, says the boxes allow a parent in crisis to safely and anonymously surrender their infant. She herself was abandoned as a baby.
"I used to look at my life as a curse, and now I look at it as a blessing," she told FOX 13. "That's why I do what I do. I can't change what happened to me, but I can change what can happen to others."
Florida's Safe Haven law was passed in 2000, allowing for a mother or father to surrender newborns not more than a week old at any hospital, emergency medical service station, or fire station without fear of prosecution.
The inside of the Safe Haven Baby Box at the fire station in Ocala, Florida.
Kelsey says Safe Haven laws across the country were enacted as a way to keep babies from being abandoned in dumpsters and trash cans.
According to the organization, just having a Safe Haven law isn't enough since parents who want to surrender their babies may be unwilling to do so because they cannot be anonymous when handing over their child. A baby box, they say, helps provide extra reassurance.
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"Many mothers-in-crisis want and need anonymity when surrendering an infant, due either to fear of recognition, the stigma associated with surrendering a child, or fear of prosecution due to ignorance and/or misunderstanding of the Safe Haven law," the organization says on its website.
The outside of the Safe Haven Baby Box at the fire station in Ocala, Florida.
"We don't know their heritage, we don't know their medical background, but a baby dead in a dumpster — we're not going to know that either," Kelsey told FOX 13. "So this is a safe alternative to infant abandonment across this country."
The drawer opens from the outside, and the newborn is placed in a bassinet. The box has heating and cooling elements and is electronically monitored. Silent alarms activate once a baby is placed inside, and the box calls 911 on its own to notify first responders, Kelsey says.
Once a baby is placed inside the box, the exterior door automatically locks — meaning the infant can only be accessed by a medical staff member or first responder inside the building.
Safe Haven Baby Box founder Monica Kelsey demonstrates how the device works at the fire station in Ocala, Florida. (Photo: Ocala Fire Rescue).
The infant will be attended to within five minutes, medically evaluated at a local hospital, and adopted within 30 to 45 days.
The Ocala box location was the 66th Baby Box in the nation and now there are 134 across the U.S.
The organization says Baby Boxes are currently available in Indiana, Ohio, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.
Authorities demonstrate how the Safe Haven Baby Box works at the fire station in Ocala, Florida. (Photo: Ocala Fire Rescue)
In addition to partnering with fire stations across the country, Safe Haven Baby Boxes also operates a 24-hour hotline for parents in crisis, which allows for both phone calls and text messages. Trained professionals talk to those considering safely surrendering their baby.
Kelsey says in the five years they have been in operation, they have received over 8,000 calls to date — and they've fielded 114 calls from Florida in just the last year.
For more information, visit the organization's website at shbb.org, or call the hotline at 1-866-99-BABY1.