Foley and Daphne are taking steps to bring Safe Haven Baby Boxes to Baldwin County, providing a secure and anonymous way for parents in crisis to legally surrender a newborn.

Foley’s City Council approved a lease agreement April 8 with Safe Haven Baby Boxes, a nonprofit that partners with communities nationwide to install temperature-controlled, 24/7 monitored units that allow for the safe, no-questions-asked surrender of infants. The box will be placed at the city’s main fire station.

Fire Chief Joey Darby said the department has been working on the project for about two years and hopes it will fill a critical gap in infant safety.

“It would be my goal, my hope, that the box would never be needed,” Darby said. “But the reality is that Madison installed one of the first ones in the state at the Madison Fire Department and they've already had three babies in theirs. They had one within 10 days of installation. So there's a potential need out there, and if we can meet that need, and potentially save a baby's life, a parent's life, potentially keep someone out of jail, out of incarceration, then it's a win all the way around.”

While Foley may have been the first to formally announce its installation plans, Daphne is also working on installing a baby box. Fire Chief LeAnn Tacon said the department’s unit is close to being finalized.

“We have one that’s been built and is in the final phase of testing, and hopefully will be opened in a few weeks,” Tacon told Gulf Coast Media.

Alabama passed a law in 2023 allowing for the use of baby boxes at designated safe surrender sites like fire stations, provided they meet specific safety and operational standards. The legislation was sponsored by State Rep. Donna Givens.

Darby said Foley’s effort began shortly after the law was passed, thanks in large part to Deputy Chief Chad Brewer.

“I credit my staff, particularly Deputy Chief Brewer, for coming to me and saying, why can't we be one of those locations, and arguably the first location in Baldwin County? So we started down this process,” Darby said. “It's a very long, detailed process, but we finally got the project put together.”

Darby said Foley has also received support from the Mobile Fire Department, which installed a baby box earlier this year. He said their experience is helping Foley navigate its own installation.

“It took them a couple of years to get through the actual installation process,” Darby said. “They've been able to share a lot of things with me that's going to help really speed up our process, and I'm very appreciative of their efforts to do that.”

Under Foley’s agreement with Safe Haven Baby Boxes, the organization will select and approve the installation site. Once installed, the box must pass a series of detailed operational tests before being opened to the public.

“There are a number of very detailed steps that we'll have to follow here,” Darby said. “Once installed, there is a testing phase that we'll have to go through that's very detailed to make sure the box is working appropriately.”

Local churches and businesses are supporting the project with donations and services that could cover most, if not all, of the installation costs for the Foley Baby Box.

Safe Haven Baby Boxes are designed to be used only as a last resort. Once a baby is placed inside, the box locks automatically and triggers a silent alarm to alert emergency personnel, who respond within minutes. The system ensures the parent's anonymity and complies with Alabama’s Safe Haven Law.

Note: This reporting originally identified Foley as having the first baby boxes to be installed in Baldwin County based on a press release sent to media outlets. This story now reflects that GCM has been notified that Daphne Fire Department is also in the process of installing and completing a baby box.