After a newborn baby was dropped off at a Fort Worth fire station, first responders and child advocates continue to spread awareness of the state’s Safe Haven Law.
Officials confirm a baby girl born Thursday morning was dropped off by her parent at Fort Worth Fire Station 38 just after 8:30 a.m.
Mike Drivdahl with the Fort Worth Fire Department said the baby appeared to be in good health and firefighters were able to provide care until Child Protective Services picked her up.
All 43 fire stations in Fort Worth are considered 'Safe Baby' sites. Drivdahl said they may get two in a year, or sometimes none at all.
The baby is believed to be their third in the past year-and-a-half, he said.
"This is what we are here for. This is why Fort Worth fire stations and fire stations across Texas are here -- to allow mothers of children, newborn children, the opportunity to make a decision that could change the rest of their life and the life of that child as well," Drivdahl explained. "It takes a lot of courage to come up to complete strangers and hand over your newborn children and entrust that somebody’s going to take care of them and put them in the right place."
The Safe Haven law, also known as the Baby Moses law, allows parents who are unable to care for their child to bring the baby to a designated safe place with no questions asked.
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Shellie McMillon with the Alliance For Children said the child must be unharmed and safe.
"It's fire stations, it's any EMT, and of course it's hospitals or medical establishments. The law said that's up to 60 days of age," McMillon said. "That child is not supposed to not be left on a doorstep or something, but actually given into the hands of a professional at one of those facilities."
Over the weekend, police in Arlington responded after a baby boy born pre-mature was found near a dumpster and zipped up inside a closed suitcase. Police say as of this week, the newborn appears to be doing well at the hospital.
His mother has not been located.
McMillon says the purpose of the Safe Haven Law is give parents a safe choice for both the baby and the parent.
"That's part of it, is you're assured that as long as you're making a good decision - you're following the law, there's not going to be any legal ramifications," she said. "You’ll be protected."
For more information on the law, click here.
