It’s often said that teamwork makes the dream work; but with collaboration between the Linton Fire Department and other organizations, that teamwork could save lives.

Tuesday at 1 p.m., the Linton Fire Department will hold a blessing for its newly installed Safe Haven Baby Box. Then, the box will go live. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend.

“I hope it never gets used, but if there is a need, I hope it gets used. It’s better than the alternative,” said Linton Fire Department Chief Brad Sparks. “The fire department has always been a safe place for kids and we’ve now advanced that even further having a Safe Haven Baby Box.”

Under the state’s Safe Haven Law, the Baby Box legally permits a mother in crisis to safely, securely, and anonymously surrender if they are unable to care for their newborn.

Sparks noted that just this year in Greene County, two babies were surrendered under the Safe Haven law in a controlled environment.

“I was approached by Donna (Smith) the township trustee and she asked if we would be willing to host a Safe Haven Baby Box and I said ‘yeah’,” Sparks said. “Donna has been so good to the fire department. When she called me, I owed this to her not only to her but the whole community.”

Sparks then made some calls and began the planning process to get the Baby Box started. When officially opened on Tuesday, Linton’s box will be the 92nd in the state.

At Tuesday’s event, Monica Kelsey, founded of Safe Haven Baby Boxes, will be in attendance. She started Safe Haven Baby Boxes after learning she was abandoned as an infant and after seeing a “baby box” in operation at a church in Cape Town, South Africa. She has made it her personal mission to educate others on the Safe Haven Law and to do whatever it takes to save the lives of innocent babies from being abandoned.

Also in attendance, Sparks said, will be a toddler who was abandoned at a Safe Haven location along with her adopted family.

This photo is an example of a baby box placed at another location.

Linton’s box is placed on the west side of the fire department. It has an exterior door that automatically locks upon placement of a newborn inside the Baby Box, and an interior door that allows a staff member to secure the surrendered newborn from inside the designated building. When a newborn is placed in the box, a silent alarm is activated.

Aside from being placed on an exterior wall, the area had to be 100 percent anonymous, Sparks said. The department removed the camera from the west side of the building and will utilize it at a different location.

Collaboration came via the City of Linton by pouring concrete for a new sidewalk and HICOM by installing a wire for the alarm and an automatic dialer that rings to the police department when a newborn has been abandoned in the box. Bryan Sparks, Chief Sparks brother, installed the box, which included cutting into the bricks of the building, at no cost to the department.

“Monica came and looked at everything and was pleased,” Sparks said.

Throughout this journey that started in October, members of the fire department, along with the police department and staff from Greene County General Hospital, have received numerous training sessions with Kelsey, thus furthering collaboration throughout the community.