Belen approves Baby Box standard operation procedures

BELEN—Nine months after installing a Baby Box at the Belen Fire Department and five months after a newborn baby boy was left in the box, the city council approved a standard operating procedure for the device.

During the July 15 city council meeting, Belen Fire Chief Charles Cox presented the SOP and guidelines to the council for approval. He said while the fire department had protocols in place, the new standard operating procedures will give the city and fire department strict guidelines regarding the Baby Box.

When asked by Councilor Steve Holdman if the fire department was tasked to inform CYFD when and infant is placed in the Baby Box, the fire chief told the council the state is behind on what is required.

“Safe Haven does not require it and we will not do that,” Cox said. “We can notify them that a baby has been dropped off, but it is not our responsibility to find the parent or parents or to identify them. That’s not the purpose of the program.

“If the parent wants to drop that baby off anonymously, we’re not detectives and we’re not going to be detectives for CYFD. Our main concern is to take care of the baby.”

A Baby Box is a device that can be utilized by a parent to safely, securely and anonymously surrender a newborn. The device is installed in the north-facing wall at the Belen Fire Department, located on North Fifth Street.

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When and if a parent leaves an infant in the Baby Box, the exterior door automatically locks, and firefighters or EMTs at the fire station will be able to take the baby from inside.

According to the newly-adopted SOP, the Baby Box has three separate alarms and is activated when the door is accessed from the outside, when the newborn is placed in the box and activates a motion sensor and when an electrical failure occurs in the device.

The SOP outlines the procedure when the Baby Box is activated, including:

• Fire department personnel must perform the act of retrieving a newborn and taking he or she into custody

• Once in custody, emergency personnel “shall perform any act necessary to protect the child’s health and safety”

• Emergency personnel must respond every time an alarm is activated

• Newborns will be evaluated by medical personnel and immediately transported to the closest hospital

• The hospital supervisor will notify the appropriate state agency and have social services consult order placed

Other procedures include:

• Firefighters will provide medical information and a copy of parents’ rights inside the Baby Box

• Fire personnel must test and security/alarm system at least once a week, and keep a log or record of tests and submit the log or record to Safe Haven Baby Boxes

• Fire personnel must perform checks on the device at the beginning of each shift

• Fire personnel must ensure a climate-controlled environment inside the Baby Box

• The fire department is responsible for training personnel on the use, features and procedures of the Baby Box

• After the baby is retrieved, firefighters must verify the door to the device is secured, and must reset the alarm system

• All safe surrenders are required to be reported to Safe Haven Baby Boxes, Inc.

• Fire personnel will ensure no video monitoring will occur around any part of the building containing or facing the device

• Fire personnel must turn on the exhaust system before starting any engine in the bay area of the station

The New Mexico Safe Haven Act allows for the legal surrender of children 90 days old or younger.

Belen Mayor Robert Noblin said he was pleased by a July 8 visit by two Albuquerque city councilors who are interested in installing Baby Boxes in fire stations in the Duke City.

“I want to thank the fire department staff for their hospitality and the information that you gave them,” Noblin said. “We had a demonstration for them, and kudos to VRECC (Valencia Regional Emergency Communications Center) because when we opened the door and the alarm was set, it was a pretty seamless process.”