First baby box coming to Marion County
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – A firehouse in Marion County will soon have central Indiana’s first Safe Haven Baby Box.
On Thursday at 10:30 a.m., Decatur Township Fire Department Fire Station #74 will install a new baby box.
Recently, the Indiana legislature passed a law that would allow newborns to be safely surrender at fire stations inside baby boxes without criminal consequences. The law will go into effect on July 1.
The box will be staffed 24/7 and an alarm will go off to alert a first responder when a baby is placed inside. The box will lock automatically when a baby is put inside and will also have heating and cooling features.
There are two other baby boxes in Indiana, one in La Porte and another in Allen County. Both of those boxes have already been used.
Safe Haven Baby Box Inc. was founded by firefighter and paramedic Monica Kelsey who was abandoned as an infant and has turned her story into a passion project.