HOBBS, N.M. — A baby was saved on Saturday in Hobbs, New Mexico all thanks to the Safe Haven Baby Box at Hobbs Central Fire Station that was installed back in May. After seeing tragedies in the community and state, it was a group effort to be able to make this just the second baby box in New Mexico.
The City of Hobbs sees this as a huge win for the area with a life saved. The baby box was activated on Saturday afternoon for the first time, not just in Hobbs, but in New Mexico. The fire department responded immediately, creating a special situation.
On Saturday, an alarm inside the fire department was sounded and a dispatch went out, not for a life in danger but for a life saved.
"I couldn’t be happier that a citizen or someone decided to use this baby box for the best outcome of this child," said Mark Doporto, Interim Fire Chief for the Hobbs Fire Department.
Doporto described their response on Saturday.
“I got the first notification [and] I’m like ‘okay there’s the baby box text,’ and then when I got the second notification, I actually opened up the tab and saw that the door had opened and that something was placed into the baby box," Doporto said. "Obviously, immediately after I made a phone call to the battalion chief on duty who very excitedly stated that he was on the way to the station, but that the crew was here and that there was indeed a baby in the baby box.”
Positivity followed after everything went according to plan for fire department personnel.
“I was able to come to the station shortly after the incident took place, and the personnel couldn’t be happier," Doporto said. "I mean this is exactly why we put the baby box in the Hobbs Fire Department Station One, and they just couldn’t be happier with the end result – a safe baby taken to the hospital and healthy.”
The parent on Saturday had a simple process.
“All the parent has to do is come up to the safe haven baby box, here’s a nice lever handle over in this direction," Doporto explained. "As they open this, they’re going to see an orange bag either drop to the ground or come out on the outside of that. The way that’s designed is for the parent to receive the bag – this has all the information that the parent’s going to need as far as care of the child and what rights they have and everything that will take place afterwards. They then have to get the baby, place the baby into the baby box and close the door.”
It's completely anonymous, which State Senator for District 41 of Eddy and Lea Counties David Gallegos says is important to protect.
“If we don’t protect that, there’s no reason for them to come to the Safe Haven Box," Gallegos said. "The fear is what puts these babies into trash cans. The Safe Haven Box is supposed to give them security.”
Security for all thanks to a successful delivery.
“It’s just a tremendous victory for the City of Hobbs and our county as a whole, a tremendous victory," Doporto said.
Those in attendance at the press conference also thanked the parent for doing the right thing while making a touch decision. There has been positive feedback from the community, and as proof that this system works, work continues to add more in the state.