Fort Worth fire stations have updated their protocols for handling the surrendering of children after at least seven children were dropped off across the city this fall.
Several incidents of children being left at fire stations in Fort Worth since September have driven officials to refresh their procedures in case drop-offs continue this winter. Most of these occurrences have been on the south side of Fort Worth. The children were all over the age of 60 days, meaning their abandonments fell outside of state law regulating such surrenders.
“So that creates a little bit different complexity for what the Baby Moses law was set up specifically for,” said Fort Worth Fire Chief Jim Davis, according to CBS News Texas.
The Safe Haven or Baby Moses Law was established to give parents a safe place to leave newborns and infants they cannot care for. Parents can drop children off with personnel at hospitals, fire stations, and EMS stations without fear of prosecution. However, this law only applies if the child is unharmed and 60 days old or younger.
The children left at Fort Worth fire stations were all cared for by firefighters until an appropriate agency, such as Child Protective Services, could take over. Yet the process did not go very smoothly at first, as Lt. Kaleb Kemp recalled.
Referring to an attempted drop-off at Station 4 on Old Mansfield Road in September, Kemp told CBS News that the parents appeared to grow nervous after firefighters tried to assess the child and showed confusion over which agency to call to get help. The parents ultimately changed their minds and drove away.
“They didn’t want to give the child over to us at that time,” Kemp said, adding that Fort Worth police followed up with the family.
The incident prompted a refresher on relevant protocols among Fort Worth fire stations, which paid off when four children were dropped off at Station 17 on Hemphill Street two months later. As related by Lt. Jake Pannell, the firefighters immediately got to work contacting the authorities while keeping the kids busy with YouTube videos and coloring books.
Being better prepared for similar situations helps ensure that the best outcome for the child is achieved and reduces the already considerable burden on firefighters.
“It’s fairly stressful for them, too,” suggested Davis. “Because they’ve got kids at home. It’s Christmas. They’re like, ‘Oh my God, let’s get this kid something to eat.'”
Fort Worth is not alone in recently seeing children being turned over by their parents. As covered by The Dallas Express, a 6-year-old girl named Alejandra was left at the emergency room of Baylor Medical Center Dallas earlier this month by a woman presumed to be her mother.
The first hearing on the case was held on December 14, with Child Protective Services reporting that Alejandra’s parents still have not been found. The girl, who has been enrolled in school, is being cared for by the agency until a safe home is arranged for her.
