VIDEO: A tiny and innocent life was saved recently, thanks to a box outside a Mid-South fire station and a parent who decided to use it. Fire officials said that someone over the weekend surrendered an infant at a Safe Haven Baby Box at Atoka Fire Station No. 1 in the Tennessee town about 25 miles northeast of Memphis. The boxes allow mothers of newborns to safely and legally give away their babies without being prosecuted.
“What happened over the course of this weekend is exactly why we have this box,” Atoka Fire Chief Bill Scott said. “It prevented that child from being found unalive in a dumpster or in a box on the side of the road.”
The Safe Haven Baby Box has a silent alarm, allowing firefighters to respond quickly. Fire officials said this was the first use of the Atoka baby box in 25 years.
“We had a successful surrender this weekend and we have a new baby that is going to be placed with a loving family that couldn’t have a child of their own,” Scott said.
