The Rumford Fire Department is preparing to open Maine’s first Safe Haven Baby Box in February to prevent incidents of deadly infant abandonment.
“I hope we never use it,” Rumford Fire Chief Chris Reed said, according to News Center Maine. “But at least it’s an option.”
Safe Haven Baby Boxes were created to deter parents from abandoning their newborns in unsafe conditions, potentially leaving them to die. Baby boxes are temperature-controlled incubators often built into exterior walls of fire stations, police stations, and hospitals, and can be accessed from outdoors. At-risk mothers can safely and legally place their newborns inside. Once the baby is inside the baby box, the outside door locks, and the mother has time to leave before an alarm goes off to alert first responders or hospital staff to the child’s presence.
The baby is then quickly removed and sent to a hospital for a wellness check. From there, the baby is usually placed into state custody and is often quickly adopted.
Reed said the baby box is almost ready — it just needs electrical wiring, along with two weeks of staff training. If everything goes to plan, the department expects the box to be up and running by mid-February, according to the report.
The initiative follows the state’s 2021 update to its Safe Haven law, allowing baby boxes to be installed at fire departments, police stations, and hospitals.
“We are attempting to break the cycle of violence that results in the deaths of infants,” Rumford’s Town Manage George O’Keefe said. “I think the effort is very worthwhile.”
Former State Sen. Lisa Keim, who was a strong proponent of adding baby boxes to the state Safe Haven law, visited the fire station on Wednesday to see the box.
“We want these infants to be cared for, to have a loving home, and to be safe,” Keim said, praising the Rumford community for working hard to bring the idea to life. “And to give the mom an option that’s truly anonymous because it might be the instance that saves a child’s life.”
While the baby box will be the state’s first, other department are looking to open their own locations. Officials with the Bath Fire Department confirmed to the outlet that they expect to have an operational baby box in 2027 when their new station opens.
Safe Haven Baby Boxes also has a confidential National Safe Haven Hotline, 1-866-99BABY1, that provides free counseling and information about safe surrenders, including face-to-face surrenders.
Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on X @thekat_hamilton.
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