Seymour will unveil Indiana’s ninth Safe Haven Baby Box Friday at Station 3.
The ceremony will be at 10:30 a.m. at the station at 605 Meadowbrook Drive. That station was chosen because of its proximity to Interstate 65.
The box was made possible by Columbus North High School graduate Hunter Wart, who raised $10,000 for his senior project to install a Safe Haven Baby Box at an Indiana fire station.
Safe Haven Baby Box Inc. is a nonprofit organization founded by firefighter and paramedic Monica Kelsey. Through the Safe Haven Law, people can anonymously surrender a healthy newborn without fear of criminal prosecution.
“So far in 2019, four babies have been surrendered safely as a result of calling the Safe Haven Baby Box hotline,” Kelsey said. “Women in crisis need more options in more locations throughout the state of Indiana.”
Safe Haven Baby Boxes installed at fire stations allow an individual to surrender a newborn baby in a box that opens from the station’s exterior wall. If a mother opens the door to surrender the child inside the box, a 911 call goes out and an alarm is sounded. When the door shuts, the child is locked on the inside of the box, and only fire and medical personnel on the inside can retrieve the child.
Wart raised the funds on his own by mowing yards and scrapping metal to have the baby box built with plans to install it at a Columbus fire station.
Columbus officials turned down Wart’s request to place the box at a Columbus fire station in January. Mary Ferdon, the city’s executive director of administration and community development, told Wart in an email dated Jan. 3 about the city’s decision.
“After careful consideration and research by city staff, the Columbus Fire Department administration and staff and discussion with medical providers, the city does not believe this is the optimal way of dealing with the surrender of infants,” Ferdon wrote.
The Columbus Fire Department was designated as a nationally recognized Safe Haven facility by the National Safe Haven Alliance in December, Compton said. Fire stations in Columbus have already been designated as locations where babies could be surrendered under state law, Compton said.
City officials said no one has surrendered a baby at a Safe Place designated site in Columbus or since the Save Haven law was implemented.
As part of the Safe Place designation, 95 Columbus firefighters receive training dealing with the protocol when an infant is surrendered, said Capt. Mike Wilson. The national recognition means all six of the city’s fire stations will have signage indicating it is a designated Safe Haven location. That in turn meaning mothers may drop off their infants who must be 30 days old or younger and only when fire department personnel are present, Wilson said.
The signage also ensures a young parent or mother knows the location is a safe alternative to an illegal abandonment of a child, he said. The signs are in English and Spanish.
In Ferdon’s written response to Wart, she said one of the city’s highest priorities is to provide immediate medical attention, potentially lifesaving care, to a surrendered infant at any of the city’s fire stations.
“Additionally, there may also be a need for both medical care and emotional support for the parents,” Ferdon said. “The Safe Haven Baby Box surrender does not allow us the opportunity to address those issues as the parent may leave the area before our medically trained personnel would have an opportunity to conduct a rapid (health) assessment.”
Compton said city officials believe its Safe Haven procedures were the best option instead of having a baby box at the fire station.
Seymour City Council members unanimously accepted Wart’s donation in February. Seymour will be the most southern location available for mothers to access a Baby Box.
Wart’s mother, Julie Kwasniewski, said her son is a hard worker who doesn’t let his ADHD or Asperger’s syndrome slow him down.
“Hunter wanted to make this Safe Haven Baby Box happen, and he did,” Kwasniewski said.
Wart graduated from Columbus North earlier this month.
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For a complete list of Safe Haven Baby Box locations, visit safehavenbabyboxes.com/locations.html.
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Through the Safe Haven Law, people can anonymously surrender their healthy newborn without fear of criminal prosecution.
Safe Haven Baby Boxes installed at fire stations allow an individual to surrender a newborn baby in a box that opens from the station’s exterior wall.
Safe Haven Baby Boxes cost about $10,000 to install and are equipped with alarm systems to notify 911 immediately. The boxes also are equipped with heating and cooling features and lock as soon as the baby is placed inside. Only fire and medical personnel on the inside can retrieve the child.
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