OVIEDO, Fla. — A newborn baby who was dropped off at a Seminole County fire station is safe and healthy in the hospital.
Firefighters at Station 46 on Alexandria Boulevard in Oviedo said it’s something that's never happened there before.
They said a desperate parent walked right through the front doors, and handed over a newborn baby on Tuesday night.
Firefighters jumped into action.
"It's a sense of accomplishment to me to see a plan come together like this,” said Oviedo Fire Chief Lars White.
Florida's Safe Haven law allows a parent to drop off a newborn at any fire station or hospital in the state, no questions asked.
This is the 173rd case since the law was passed in 2000.
It's only the second time a baby has been dropped off like this in Oviedo and just the 8th time in the last 12 years in Seminole County.
“Our firefighters were very thrilled with the incorporation of this law, because we think about the lives that were saved,” said White. “Not only the newborns, but parents as well that would be troubled or do something illegal with the newborn.”
Firefighters said it's proof the law is working, and saving lives.
“This is a success story,” explained White.
Crews took the baby to the hospital right after arrival. The baby will remain at the hospital for 48 hours, and then will be handed over to an adoption agency.
The number of children dropped off at Safe Haven locations in Florida has dropped drastically since 2007.
Twenty-three children were dropped off that year. So far this year, there are nine cases.
WFTV also looked at how many cases handled by each local county since the program started in 2000.
Orange County has had 11. Seminole had eight.
Polk and Volusia counties both had five.
Lake and Marion counties had four. Flager County had three and Brevard County had one.
WFTV
