Kentucky is in the national news after an infant was dropped off at a Bowling Green Fire Department station in a so-called “baby box.” That program is called “Operation Safe Haven.”
The Lexington Fire Department is part of a similar program called “National Safe Place” that was established in the commonwealth in 1983.
Major Derek Roberts of the Lexington Fire Department said all 24 city fire stations offer such assistance.
“Each fire station has a yellow placard that shows that it's a safe place. And any child that’s seeking help, they can come and seek shelter at that place.”
Roberts said it's an extension of the work his department does in the field every day.
“If we roll up on our emergency scene, and it's something where a child is hurt, a child is unresponsive, that mother is going to hand us their child. So I think it's organic, that we transitioned into the role where they see us as a safe place.”
Roberts said while the Lexington Fire Department doesn’t have baby boxes, they do accept infant drop-offs, and did so in July of 2021. That baby was eventually reunited with its mother.
**In a sea of partisan news, WEKU is your source for public service, fact-based journalism. Monthly sustaining donors are the top source of funding for this growing nonprofit news organization. Please join others in your community who support WEKU by making your donation.
