Georgia will activate its first Safe Haven Baby Box on Friday at the Henry County fire station at 30 Fairview Road in Ellenwood, following a 9:30 a.m. blessing ceremony.

The locked, temperature-controlled incubator is built into the exterior of the station and allows a parent to place a newborn inside. Once the outer door closes, it locks, giving the parent time to leave before an alarm alerts firefighters inside. The infant is then taken to a hospital for a medical check and typically placed into state custody, where adoption often follows quickly.

Safe Haven Baby Boxes are designed to prevent the abandonment and potential death of infants. They are community-funded and operate under expanded state Safe Haven laws that every state already maintains in some form. Henry County Fire Chief Pat Wilson, who has responded to cases of abandoned babies, called infant abandonment one of the worst tragedies first responders encounter.

Resident Aime Anderson advocated for the legislative change that made the device possible. In May, Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signed HB 350, the Eliza Jane Warner Act, named for a newborn who was fatally abandoned in Troup County in 2019. The law authorizes newborn safety devices at fire stations, police stations, hospitals, and ambulance services and extends the legal surrender window from 30 days to 45 days after birth.

State Rep. Mike Cameron, the bill’s Republican sponsor, said the measure strengthens the safety net for Georgia’s most vulnerable and gives families and first responders a clearer, safer option in crisis. The House and Senate passed the bill overwhelmingly in early April. Georgia joins roughly two dozen other states that permit the devices.

Nationwide, Safe Haven Baby Boxes has installed at least 455 units in 25 states since launching in Indiana nine years ago. More than 80 newborns have been surrendered directly into the boxes, and the organization’s confidential hotline (1-866-99BABY1) has assisted with more than 200 additional safe surrenders at other locations.