Chattanooga is the home of Tennessee’s latest Safe Haven Baby Box. Located at Fire Station 6 (4510 Bonny Oaks Drive), the box legally permits a parent in crisis to safely and anonymously surrender his or her newborn without fear of prosecution.
Provided for under the Tennessee Safe Haven Law, a baby box is installed in an exterior wall of a designated fire station. The process involves opening the box’s secure door, placing the baby inside the temperature-controlled bin and closing the door.
Once the door is shut, a sensor alerts firefighters to retrieve the baby. CFD personnel will provide medical care until Hamilton County EMS arrives to transport the infant to the nearest hospital for further evaluation.
Baby boxes aim to prevent unsafe abandonment and ensure infants are placed in proper care.
After the daughter of Chattanooga resident Carol Burhenn adopted her son through a Safe Haven Baby Box in Vienna, Austria, the family felt compelled to bring one to the Scenic City area.
Read Taylor, a local businessman and an associate of the Burhenns who’s witnessed the life-changing impact of the baby box program, donated the money that made the project possible. Fire Station 6 was chosen because of its proximity to Highway 153 and other interstate systems.
“My friend Lauren was able to adopt her son thanks to a baby box in Austria. When she and her mom decided to set up Chattanooga’s first baby box, I wanted to help make this happen in the town where I grew up,” Taylor says.
There are now 12 Safe Haven Baby Box locations in Tennessee and 284 locations across the U.S. The boxes are temperature-controlled and automatically lock after someone has placed a baby inside. They’re available around the clock.
If a parent uses the box, an orange bag containing resources will fall out of it.
Chattanooga Fire Chief Phil Hyman is stressing the importance of having a baby box in the local community.
“We want parents across the area to know they can turn to the Chattanooga Fire Department when they’re in crisis and rest assured their newborns will be safe. This is about protecting and saving the lives of children.”
Infant surrendering laws vary by state. However, in Tennessee, parents in crisis can surrender their babies to a baby box without face-to-face interactions with first responders.
Additional resources about the rules regarding infant surrendering can be found at shbb.org.