Infant left with firefighters at LFD station

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - Firefighters at one Louisville Fire Department station found themselves handling a different kind of call this morning after an infant was dropped off to them.

The infant was surrendered around 7:15 a.m. to the on duty firefighters at the Truck 4 / Engine 22 station, located at Louis Coleman Jr. Drive and River Park Drive in the Shawnee neighborhood.

LFD stations are staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, but the Engine 22 station does not have a Safe Haven Baby Box.

Major Bobby Cooper, spokesperson for LFD, said the infant was assessed by firefighters and appeared to be healthy. The baby was taken to a hospital for further evaluation.

“We don’t know what her situation was,” Cooper said. “We just know she needed to make this decision which had to be incredibly difficult, and so we praise her for that decision that she made in approaching the fire house and ringing the bell, and ensuring that the child was securely left with the firefighters who were perfectly capable of caring for the child and contacting the proper authorities and making sure the child remained in safe care.”

“The firefighters were cautious to stay calm and quiet and try to allow the child to sleep, which they said that it did until they were able to hand it over to EMS for transport,” Cooper added.

According to information from the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Kentucky’s Safe Infants Act allows parents to leave babies under 30 days old at designated safe places. Such places are:

• Staff at a hospital emergency room;
• An officer at a police station;
• A firefighter at a fire station;
• An emergency medical services provider; or
• Someone at a staffed participating place of worship.

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