Two N. Massapequa firehouses designated 'safe havens'

The North Massapequa Fire District has designated two firehouses as official "safe havens" for birth mothers seeking to relinquish custody of newborn children, officials said.

Behind the decision, approved by the district board of commissioners in a recent board resolution, officials said that by providing a haven the district is allowing "a despondent parent to abandon an infant with dignity in a safe manner."

The goal, the district said in a statement released Monday, is to "prevent someone from considering any other option."

The program will be run under the guidelines of the state safe haven law, as well as guidelines established by the Ambulance Medical Technicians Children of Hope Foundation, district officials said.

State law allows a mother who believes she cannot care for a child to legally leave that newborn at locations including police precincts, firehouses, hospitals and churches.

A mother can also leave that child with a responsible adult willing to accept the child - and contact authorities.

The sites in the fire district include the firehouse at 960 Hicksville Rd. in Seaford and the one at 1000 Broadway in North Massapequa.

The AMT Children of Hope Foundation crisis hotline can be reached at . 1-877-796-4673. The hotline is open 24 hours a day, officials said.