Chief Thanks Mother Of 'Baby Hope' Left At Fire Station

MICHIGAN CITY, IN — A newborn baby girl was doing well Wednesday morning, hours after she was found in a Safe Haven Baby Box at a northwest Indiana fire station. The infant was found after an alert received by the La Porte County 911 Center just before 10:30 p.m. Tuesday sent emergency responders to the Coolspring Township Volunteer Fire Department. Coolspring Fire Chief Mike Pawlik arrived at the fire station in less than five minutes and found the baby girl, police said.

The baby, believed to be just an hour old, was wrapped in a sweatshirt. An ambulance took the newborn to Franciscan St. Anthony's Hospital in Michigan City, where she appeared to be healthy, police said.

Pawlik said the baby had not yet been cleaned up and had clearly just been delivered. "It was still wrapped in a sweatshirt. It was bloodied. But the baby was calm. Calmer than I was, I know that," Pawlik told NBC Chicago.

The Safe Haven box was installed at the Coolspring fire department on April 28, 2016. The La Porte County Sheriff's Office said it was just the second device of its kind to be installed in the United States.

"When this box was installed, we hoped that it would never be used, yet were thankful that it exists for cases just like the one Tuesday night," Pawlik said in a statement. "We are grateful that the mother had this option and made this choice and we remain concerned for her health."

Firefighters who respond to so many tragedies were thrilled to have a call with a happy ending. “Until you’re a firefighter, cop, medic and see all the bad stuff that we see. I’m elated for once we see something good,” Pawlik told WGN.

Assistant Chief Warren Smith also thanked the mother, according to WGN. "She stepped up to the plate and did the right thing," he said. "She turned the baby into the Baby box instead of us finding the baby in a ditch or woods. We hear so many horrible stories."

Police said the sheriff's office and Indiana Department of Children and Family Services were notified after the baby was found. The agency will find the baby a home, and there's already been interest in adopting her, according to officials.

The State of Indiana has a safe haven law that allows for a newborn to be given up without fear of arrest or prosecution.

Image via LaPorte County Sheriff's Office