South Dakota's First Safe Haven Baby Box Opens at Rapid City Fire Station

The new baby box aims to prevent unsafe newborn abandonments in the state.

Published on Feb. 27, 2026

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A fire station in Rapid City, South Dakota, has opened the state's first Safe Haven Baby Box, a temperature-controlled incubator where mothers can safely and legally surrender their newborns. The baby box is part of South Dakota's Safe Haven law, which allows babies under 60 days old to be surrendered at hospitals, fire and police stations, emergency services, and licensed child placement agencies without fear of prosecution.

Why it matters

The opening of South Dakota's first Safe Haven Baby Box comes after several high-profile cases of newborn abandonment in the state, including the discovery of the body of baby Gabriel at a Sioux Falls recycling center in 2024. Baby boxes are designed to provide a safe, legal, and anonymous option for mothers in crisis to surrender their newborns, potentially preventing future tragedies.

The details

The new baby box is located at Rapid City Fire Department station #1 in downtown. Once a baby is placed inside, an alarm alerts first responders, who can then quickly retrieve the infant and transport them to a hospital for a wellness check. From there, the child is usually placed into state custody and often adopted quickly.

  • The baby box blessing and ribbon cutting ceremony is scheduled for Saturday.
  • South Dakota's Safe Haven law has allowed for the surrender of babies under 60 days old since it was enacted.

The players

Rapid City Fire Department

The fire department that has installed South Dakota's first Safe Haven Baby Box at one of its stations.

Safe Haven Baby Boxes

The organization that launched the baby box program nine years ago in Indiana and has expanded it to over 400 locations nationwide.

Jenn Lee

The executive director of SD Right to Life, who discussed the push to bring baby boxes to South Dakota after the discovery of baby Gabriel's body.

Brian Povandra

The division chief of the Rapid City Fire Department, who explained the department's training and response protocols for the new baby box.

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What they’re saying

“There are alarms that go off local here in the station as well. It's a monitored alarm that'll get sent to dispatch. If the baby box alarms go off and there are people right here, we respond immediately and start assessing the newborn and transport them up to the hospital.”

— Brian Povandra, Division Chief, Rapid City Fire Department (KELO)

“We're very proud to be the first ones in South Dakota and the 418th across the nation.”

— Brian Povandra, Division Chief, Rapid City Fire Department (KELO)

What’s next

The baby box blessing and ribbon cutting ceremony is scheduled for this Saturday, February 29, 2026.

The takeaway

The opening of South Dakota's first Safe Haven Baby Box in Rapid City provides a crucial safe and legal option for mothers in crisis, potentially preventing future tragedies of newborn abandonment in the state. This initiative builds on the state's existing Safe Haven law and demonstrates the community's commitment to protecting vulnerable infants.