Parents who cannot care for an infant now have a safe and anonymous place to leave their child at Foley’s Fire Station No. 1 on West Verbena Avenue. The new Safe Haven Baby Box allows a mother to place a baby in a cushioned compartment, triggering a silent alarm that alerts firefighters to provide immediate care.

Foley Fire Chief Joey Darby said the project has been in the works for several years, developed in partnership with Safe Haven Baby Boxes, a national organization that provides locations for children to be surrendered safely when parents have no alternative.

Darby said the initiative could save lives.

“It would be my prayer in a perfect world that this box is never used, that there is never a need for this box,” he said. “But we don't live in a perfect world. The reality is that babies are being surrendered out there. It's awesome for us to have that opportunity to change the life of not only a baby, but the life of that baby's parents and extended community members. So we're excited about that. We take that very seriously.”

The box is located on the east side of the station, away from the main entrance. When a baby is placed inside, the silent alarm alerts the 911 center, and a firefighter retrieves the infant to begin care. The baby is then transported by ambulance to Baldwin Health Hospital. After a waiting period, state child protection services will place the child for adoption.

Darby said firefighters have received specialized training for the program.

“Our staff has been trained. Our staff already is in the business of saving lives, but now they've been trained specifically for this box. I know that they're all in as well.”

State Rep. Donna Givens, R-Loxley, sponsored the legislation creating the Baby Box program in Alabama. She said she was inspired to act after learning that other states had laws to prevent infant abandonment.

“I thought that this is what the state of Alabama needs, because we have babies being abandoned — left in garbage dumps and on creek banks,” Givens said.

Givens emphasized that the law aims to protect children both before and after birth.

“I knew we wanted these mothers to carry these babies full term, but I knew not everyone would be able to care for that baby,” she said. “There needed to be a second step.”

The bipartisan bill passed both houses of the Legislature without opposition.

Mayor Ralph Hellmich praised the collaboration that brought the project to fruition.

“Thank you all for coming up with this idea,” he said. “This was something that the community could support. I believe this is the type of activity that our community excels in. We want to make sure that we take care of all of our folks, take care of children, older people, everyone.”

Sponsors who contributed to the project include Rolin Construction, Hunter Security, Summit Church and 1-800-BoardUp.

Caitlin Kelly, area representative for Safe Haven Baby Box, said the Foley location is the 425th in the nation and the 20th in Alabama.

“This fire station is now part of the Safe Haven Baby Box family,” she said. “We're the only organization in America that gives parents in crisis a completely anonymous option to utilize our already existing safe haven law.”

Another Baby Box operates in Daphne, and a third site is planned for Spanish Fort. Safe Haven also operates a 24-hour hotline at 866-99BABY1, which has received more than 9,000 calls nationwide. The program has supported over 186 face-to-face surrenders, with 76 babies placed through the initiative.

“So that has been beautiful to see,” Kelly said.