Firefighters Search for Missing Babies?

A few days ago, Audacy via WWJ Newradio 950 (Detroit) ran a short news story—or should I say promotion— about Safe Haven Baby Boxes. Nothing special about it. I was ready to file it away when I double-checked for anything “interesting,” and sure enough . . . out popped an offbeat quote from Carmel, Indiana, Fire Chief David Haboush, the lucky recipient of three boxees between April 4 and May 14, 2022. One baby has either been returned to his mother or is in the process of reunion. The other two have been anonymized

Here it is:

‘Through this additional doorway into the fire station for them to drop the baby off than for us to go out and search for a missing baby or—and we can fill in the blank on many horrific things that have happened prior to the Safe Haven Program here in the state of Indiana,’ Haboush said.

He said what?

Now as a cat I am very aware of the good service firefighters have extended to my brethren over the years. You know. Those numb-nutz kitties that climb up trees or a roof and don’t have a clue about how to get down. PB tells me that a long time ago when she lived in Albany Georgia, the local paper posted cat rescue runs. Cat are one thing, but since when does the fire department go out looking for babies?

Nearly all discarded or killed newborns are born at home or somewhere else in secret to women who have kept their pregnancies a secret. If secret newborns go missing, no one but the mother (usually) knows they even exist(ed). How and why could firefighters look for babies they don’t know exist(ed) This makes no sense. The only exception would be if they are called to a location and EMTs determine that a woman there has recently given birth, and no baby is in sight. Then a search of the premises and a call to the cops happens. Firefighters are not crime investigators or finders of lost babies. What is Chief Haboush talking about?

I hope I am not being dense.