FORTVILLE, Ind. (WTHR) - A new Safe Haven Baby Box was dedicated Monday in Hancock County.
The box is located at the Vernon Township Fire Station in Fortville. It's the 15th one installed in the state.
The boxes allow someone to safely surrender a newborn baby by opening the door of the box, placing the child inside and walking away. An alarm alerts firefighters inside the station, who can remove the child and make sure it gets the care it needs.
As long as the surrendered child is under 30 days old and health, no one will be arrested.
"Fortville wanted to be proactive in this approach of infant abandonment. They didn't want to find a child in Fortville in a dumpster or a trash can. So taking this first step to ensure the safety of their most vulnerable was pivotal for Fortville. They contacted us last year, so we've been working with Fortville for a year to get this implemented," said Monica Kelsey, Founder and CEO of Safe Haven Baby Boxes, Inc.
The dedication of the new box came less than a week after someone found an abandoned newborn in a plastic bag in Seymour. The child was found less than a mile from a Safe Haven Baby Box in that city.
Police are still searching for the baby's mother.