Newborn Baby Left At Safe Haven Fire Station

CHICAGO, IL — A young mother brought a newborn baby girl to a fire station in Chicago's East Side neighborhood Thursday evening. The baby was just several hours old and in good health, officials said. The mother took the newborn into the fire station at 106th Street and South Ewing Avenue around 7:40 p.m. as part of The Safe Haven program.

The mother signed paperwork to release the baby to the Chicago Fire Department, officials said. Paramedics checked the child's health and took her to Trinity Hospital.

The Safe Haven Law was passed in Illinois in 2001. The law protects parents' anonymity and guards them from facing civil or criminal liability for taking in their babies.

All fire stations, police stations and hospitals must accept a baby brought in by a parent and provide all necessary emergency services to help a newborn child.

The mother of the baby girl filled out paperwork, but it's not required. Information does not need to be given to partake in the program.

In November, another mother left a baby girl at a fire station in Indiana. Fire officials there dubbed the infant "Baby Hope" and thanked the mother for her choice. "She stepped up to the plate and did the right thing," Coolspring Assistant Chief Warren Smith said. "She turned the baby into the Baby box instead of us finding the baby in a ditch or woods. We hear so many horrible stories."

Image via Chicago Fire Department