The city council has created a new “Safe Haven” for babies being surrendered in Lubbock.
In a unanimous vote Tuesday, the Lubbock City Council authorized Safe Haven Baby Boxes, Inc. to install a device at a Lubbock fire station, with Lubbock Fire Chief Shaun Fogerson saying the program allows those who decide to surrender their baby to do so “safely and anonymously.”
Protected under the “Baby Moses Law,” parents can safely surrender their baby without fear of legal repercussions if they do not feel capable of caring for the child. Parents can do so at a hospital, free-standing emergency center, EMS station, and now — after the 88th Texas Legislature — fire and police stations. The same legislation authorized the use of baby boxes and similar devices in the state.
Now, Lubbock will add a Safe Haven Baby Box to Lubbock Fire Station 9 — located at 4814 50th St. — where parents can place their baby in an incubated box that is built into the station’s wall.
According to a video posted by the company , the box operates when a person opens the door to the box and places a baby in the bassinet from outside the building. When the door is opened, a silent alarm is triggered internally that notifies firefighters that a baby has been placed inside the device.