For the first time since it was installed, a newborn baby was safely surrendered at a Safe Haven Baby Box in Hendersonville, Tennessee. The child was placed into the box this past week at Hendersonville Fire Station #5, triggering the system's built-in emergency alert, which immediately notified personnel inside the firehouse.

Emergency responders quickly arrived at the box, where they checked the baby’s vitals and administered any medical care that may have been needed. Officials in Hendersonville confirmed that this is the first time a baby has been surrendered at their location since the Safe Haven Baby Box was installed in April of last year.

This life-saving moment marks a powerful contrast to a tragic case from more than a decade ago, when a mother in the same community took the lives of her newborn twins. Fire officials and advocates say that Safe Haven Baby Boxes are designed specifically to prevent such tragedies, offering a secure, anonymous, and legal option for desperate parents.

In Rutherford County, the Murfreesboro Fire Rescue Department also joined the Safe Haven initiative, opening its first Baby Box in October 2024 outside Fire Station #4 on Medical Center Parkway. Fire Chief Mark McCluskey told WGNS more about how the system works…

Tennessee’s Safe Haven Law, originally enacted on July 1, 2001, and updated as recently as 2025, allows for a parent to safely surrender an unharmed newborn up to 45 days old, without fear of prosecution...

Chief McCluskey emphasized that the law allows for anonymous drop-offs at designated Safe Haven sites—fire stations, hospitals, and other approved locations—ensuring the child’s protection while giving parents a legal alternative to abandonment...

We also asked Chief McCluskey if any babies have been surrendered at the Murfreesboro Safe Haven Baby Box since it opened... To date, no newborns have been surrendered at the Murfreesboro location, but the system remains ready should a need arise.

Across Tennessee, there are now at least 17 Safe Haven Baby Boxes, with the first installed in Knoxville in 2023. Nationally, the number has grown to more than 350 Baby Boxes, each equipped with safety and alarm systems to alert first responders the moment a baby is placed inside.

The Safe Haven Baby Box organization is a nonprofit thst was founded by Monica Kelsey, a former firefighter and paramedic in Indiana. She formed the program after learning that she had been abandoned as a newborn. Reports indicate the very first baby was surrendered using a Safe Haven box in 2017, nearly a year after the first box was built in 2016.

For those considering this option, there is a confidential 24-hour Safe Haven hotline at 1-866-99-BABY1 (1-866-992-2291). The service provides support and information for individuals in crisis or those seeking to safely surrender an infant.