San Antonio, Texas: Safe Haven Baby Boxes Open at Three Fire Stations

San Antonio parents in crisis now have a safe, legal and anonymous place to leave a newborn at three city fire stations. Safe Haven Baby Boxes are in place and ready at Fire Station 7 downtown, Fire Station 18 on the East Side and Fire Station 24 on the Northeast Side, three years after the City Council approved funding for them.

A ceremony to bless the boxes was held on Tuesday morning, October 27, at Fire Station 7 on South St. Mary's Street in downtown San Antonio. The unveiling took place at 11 a.m. at the station, which stands at 1414 South St. Mary's Street. The other boxes are at Fire Station 18 on South W.W. White Road and at Fire Station 24 on Austin Highway, KSAT reported.

How the boxes work

Each box holds a climate controlled bassinet inside the station wall. The boxes are connected to an alarm that alerts emergency dispatch and the firefighters inside the station when a baby is placed inside, so crews can reach the infant quickly. The San Antonio boxes are the 484th, 485th and 486th Safe Haven Baby Box locations in the nation and the 24th, 25th and 26th in Texas, according to the Safe Haven Baby Boxes organization.

Under Texas law, the state's Baby Moses Safe Haven law, a parent can legally surrender an unharmed infant who is 60 days old or younger at a designated safe place such as a fire station or hospital. The baby box adds an anonymous option for a parent who does not feel able to hand a baby over face to face.

"Because the people of San Antonio stepped up, a parent who feels out of options now has a safe, legal, and anonymous one close to home," said Monica Kelsey, the founder and chief executive of Safe Haven Baby Boxes. "We pray this box is never needed, but if it is, San Antonio will be ready."

A long wait, and years of advocacy

The arrival took years. The City Council approved funding three years ago, and in the fiscal year 2024 budget the city set aside $438,000 to buy and install baby boxes at fire stations, KSAT Investigates reported earlier in the process. A local child advocate told KABB Fox San Antonio that the installation of the three boxes marks the result of years of pushing to bring them to the city.

Advocates say the point of the boxes is narrow and practical. A parent who believes there is no other option can leave a newborn somewhere the baby will be found within moments and taken for care, instead of somewhere unsafe. Firefighters at the three stations can be alerted at any hour, and every San Antonio fire station also accepts a direct in person surrender under the same state law, whether or not it has a box.

The three stations were chosen across different parts of the city, downtown, the East Side and the Northeast Side, so that the option is not limited to one neighborhood. The boxes are now in service following Tuesday's blessing ceremony.