Sample Fire Station Protocol

SUBJECT:  COMPLIANCE WITH THE ABANDONED NEWBORN INFANT PROTECTION ACT

I.          PURPOSE

            This Order:

A.                 establishes procedures, consistent with the mandates of the Abandoned Newborn Infant Protection Act (the Act), to be followed in the event that an infant is abandoned at a CFD firehouse;

B.                 ensures CFD’s compliance with the Abandoned Newborn Infant Protection Act; and

C.                 becomes effective immediately.

II.         POLICY

A.                 The Illinois General Assembly has created the Abandoned Newborn Infant Protection Act (the Act) which establishes procedures to be followed when a parent relinquishes a newborn infant to a hospital, police station or other designated facility. The Act specifically designates fire stations as such a “facility” under the Act.

B.                 The Act is intended to enable the parent(s) of a newborn to relinquish the infant to a safe environment, to remain anonymous, and to avoid civil or criminal liability for relinquishing the infant.

C.                 Pursuant to the Act, every fire station within the State of Illinois that is staffed by at least one full-time emergency medical professional must:

1.         Accept and provide all necessary emergency services and care to a relinquished newborn infant, in accordance with this Act;

2.         Arrange for the transportation of a relinquished infant to the nearest hospital as soon as possible;

3.         Inform the parent(s) of the name and location of the hospital to which the infant was transported, if the parent returns to the fire station within 72 hours after relinquishing the infant;

4.         Allow the relinquishing parent to remain anonymous and to leave the fire station without being pursued provided that the infant shows no sign of abuse or neglect;

5.         Tell the parent that by relinquishing the child anonymously, he/she will have to petition the court if he/she wants to prevent the termination of parental rights and retain custody;

6.         Attempt to offer the parent(s) an information packet containing prescribed materials; and

7.         Make a report to the state within 12 hours of accepting a relinquished newborn.

III.       PROCEDURES AND RESPONSIBILITIES           

A.                 All exempt rank personnel assigned in the Bureau of Operations shall be trained with respect to the requirements of the Act as they apply to the Chicago Fire Department. Additional personnel shall be trained as necessary.

B.                 All officers and supervisors shall be responsible for the following procedures set forth in this Order.

C.                 Deputy District Chiefs will facilitate the distribution of information packets to each firehouse, as required by the Act.

D.                 In the event that a parent comes to a firehouse for the purpose of relinquishing an infant, pursuant to the Act, CFD personnel shall adhere to the following procedures:

1.        The company officer shall contact the OEMC to request an ambulance and field officer, and shall advise the OEMC that the company will be on an ambulance assist run until the ambulance and field officer arrive at the firehouse; 

2.        The company officer shall orally advise the relinquishing parent(s) that he/she may remain anonymous but, that if he/she chooses to do so, he/she will have to petition the court to prevent the termination of parental rights and regain custody; 

3.        The company officer shall attempt to give the parent(s) an information packet which includes all the information required by the Act;

4.        The company officer shall make a detailed record of the event in the company journal and specifically include the name and address of the hospital to which the infant is transported;

5.        The field officer will oversee the evaluation and transport of the infant to the nearest medically appropriate hospital;

6.        If the parent elects to complete adoption registry forms contained in the information packet, the company officer shall notify the field officer who shall be responsible for securing the forms and ensuring that they are forwarded immediately to the Deputy Commissioner for the Bureau of Policy and Internal Management (Deputy Commissioner) at CFD headquarters;

7.                  Once the infant has been transported to the hospital, the field officer shall contact the OEMC and request that the Deputy Commissioner be notified that an infant was relinquished at a firehouse. The Deputy Commissioner will be responsible for making required notifications to the state officials, forwarding completed adoption registry forms to the appropriate state office and maintaining all CFD documentation of the incident;

8.        The field officer shall prepare an EMS Incident report and obtain a copy of the MICU Report which should be forwarded to the Deputy Commissioner.

BY ORDER OF:

James T. Joyce,

Fire Commissioner