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In December 2007 the San Diego County Board of
Supervisors passed a resolution authorizing fire stations that are
staffed full time to be designated as Safe Haven Sites. Last year,
The San Diego County Fire Chiefs Association voted unanimously to make
all fire stations that are staffed full time Safe Haven Sites under the
Safely Surrendered Baby Law.

All designated fire stations will display the
Safe Haven Site sign and a smaller sign with instructions in case the
firefighters are not in quarters. The smaller signs are being produced
by Cal Fire Norco Conservation Camp. The fire stations in
San Diego County that are not designated Safe Haven Sites will display a
sign indication such as well as the CWS information number. For more
information about the Safely Surrendered Baby program designating Fire
Stations as Safe Haven Sites,
click
here.
The target date for Countywide implementation is
April 14, 2008. We would like ALL Fire Departments to be on
board by this date. In order to accomplish this, there are four
things all Fire Departments must do:
- You must have your governing body (District
Board, City Council, etc) officially designate your fire stations as
Safe Haven Sites. In most cases this requires a resolution to be
voted on and passed. The following links will take you to template
documents in MS Word 2003 format that can be used or modified for your
use:

Staff
Report Template
Resolution
Template
- You need to buy the Safely Surrendered Baby Kits and Station Signs.
We have an agreement with Ink Impressions that includes a volume
discount. The kits contain ID bracelets for the baby and parent, a
postage paid envelope, information sheets for the parent, a medical
questionnaire, and an instruction sheet for the firefighters. All
kit documents are labeled with a unique confidential code number that
matches the ID bracelets. The kits are $4 each and the 18" x 20"
reflective aluminum signs are $18.50 each. You should order two
kits per fire station and a reserve supply of 5-20 for your department.
You must order one sign per station. The only other cost will be
tax and shipping. Use the Ink Impressions order form to pay with
checks or a purchase order, or simply call the toll free number and
order the materials with a credit card.
Ink Impressions Order Form
You will also need a small sign that fits under the Safe Haven Sign that
provides instructions in case the Firefighters are not in quarters.
There is a sign (SIGN A) for stations with a phone that connects
directly with dispatch and a sign (SIGN B) for stations without a
phone. If you do not have a phone, the sign will include the fire
station location for cell phone users. Both signs are available in
English and Spanish. Please use the Norco Camp Sign Order Form to
order the signs for your stations.
Norco
Camp Order Form
NOTE: If your Department will not be designating its fire stations as
Safe Haven Sites, please order the appropriate sign (SIGN C) from Norco
Camp using the Norco Camp Sign Order Form. This sign is available
in English and Spanish.
If your Department has a
financial hardship, the San Diego County Fire Chief's Association may
pay for the sign upon request.
- You need to adopt the procedures for accepting an infant under the
Safely Surrendered Baby law into your Department's policy. The
following document is a policy template in MS Word 2003 format that can
be used as is or modified for your Department's format.
Safely
Surrendered Baby Policy Template
- You will need to train your personnel. A 10-minute DVD has
been produced and distributed to all Fire Departments. You should
have received one DVD per fire station in your department.
You can also view the Training Video
by clicking here (62 MB)
to open or download the .wmv file.
The process of implementation is not difficult, but
there are time constraints. The key is to get started early.
If you have any questions along the way, contact
San Marcos Battalion Chief Rick
Vogt (760 744-1050 x 3410) or
Escondido Fire Chief Vic Reed
(760- 839-5400). We would be happy to help!
For a list of each Fire Department and their progress
toward implementation, click here
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