HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A newborn baby is safe and healthy after being surrendered in a Safe Haven Baby Box at a Hendersonville fire station — marking the first use of the device since its installation.
First responders are calling the parent who surrendered the infant at Hendersonville Fire Station #5 the true hero in this situation. The baby box, which has been in service for just over a year, recently received its first surrendered newborn.
"That night, we had all gone to bed, and we got the alert for the baby box," said Brittany McCarthy, a paramedic with Sumner County EMS. "Late at night, we all had to wake up and respond to meet this beautiful baby."
McCarthy, who has been with EMS for four years and a paramedic for seven months, says she almost didn’t believe it was real at first.
"I got up, went over to the baby box, and saw a sweet little baby in there. I had to open the baby box and get them out," McCarthy recalled. "I took them to the ambulance bay to check vitals, assess, and make sure they were happy and healthy. They were absolutely beautiful — completely healthy."
Hendersonville Fire Chief Scotty Bush emphasized that the focus should be on the courageous decision made by the parent.
"They truly are the heroes. They are the ones this story needs to be centered on," Bush said. "We do not know who they are. We don’t want to know. We value and appreciate the anonymity — but we want them to know their child is in a safe place, receiving love and care every day."
The baby box at Hendersonville Fire Station #5 was installed in April 2024. It is one of three Safe Haven Baby Box locations in Tennessee and among 359 such boxes across the United States, designed to allow parents to safely and anonymously surrender newborns.
"We value that trust," Bush added. "We value the fact that they trusted us enough to bring that child here, knowing we would do the right thing and get the baby to the right place."
McCarthy expressed gratitude for the program that allowed for this safe surrender.
"I'm glad we were here. I'm glad she had the opportunity to surrender her child in a way that ensured safety and care, with the chance for adoption very soon," McCarthy said.
Officials confirm the baby is doing well. Tennessee has more than 20 Safe Haven locations across the state, offering confidential and safe ways for parents to surrender infants they cannot care for.
Since 2017, 63 infants have been safely and legally surrendered in a Baby Box. The National Safe Haven Crisis Line has assisted with over 175 handoff surrenders. Each year, the numbers increase with more baby boxes available across the country. Surrendered infants are adopted by families who have registered as foster to adopt.
The Local Department of Family Services coordinates the adoption process.
This story was reported on-air and written by Kelsey Gibbs and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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