A Quiet Rescue for Montanans

August 2025

Article by Tory Kolkhorst

On a warm and sunny June afternoon at the Lockwood Rural Fire Department, community members, lawmakers, firefighters, and beyond joined together to behold a new type of emergency response being made available to the public.

This service is not accompanied by 9-1-1 calls, sirens, or firetrucks rushing to the scene, but rather the safe and silent surrender of a mother’s care for her infant. Montana’s first and only Safe Haven Baby Box is now available for use at the Lockwood Fire Station at 501 Johnson Lane for any mother or family who may be facing a crisis.

“Every year, countless infants are heartbreakingly abandoned in the United States. While each situation is unique, parents often find themselves in times of crisis, facing emotional and practical challenges that can lead to desperate and unsafe decisions. These tragic stories underscore the urgent need for a secure and compassionate alternative that provides parents with a safe and anonymous option for child surrender and gives children the possibility of a brighter future,” the Safe Haven Baby Box website states.

The story behind the Safe Haven Baby Box is powerful and deeply personal. Its founder, Monica Kelsey, was abandoned just two hours after being born by her then-teenage mother after surviving a brutal sexual assault. Monica went on to have a successful career, serving in the military and as an emergency responder. It was during a trip to Cape Town, South Africa, that she encountered a baby box for the first time. This experience, paired with her personal testimony, ignited her passion to establish Safe Haven Baby Boxes, transforming her pain into purpose. “To use a Baby Box, simply locate a designated site near you, open the secure door, place the baby inside, and close the door… The exterior door locks automatically when a newborn is placed inside, and an interior door allows medical personnel to promptly and securely retrieve the baby, ensuring immediate care and protection,” the Safe Haven Baby Box website shares.

When it comes to infant surrender laws throughout the United States, the timelines vary from 3 days to 365 days. The Montana Safe Haven Newborn Protection Act, passed back in 2001, allows families to surrender a baby within thirty days of birth without being charged with any crime, so long as the baby shows no sign of abuse. In 2022, Billings native Jill Bushman was inspired to create a pathway that would enable the use of baby boxes under this law. Bushman shared her vision with Montana State Representative Sherry Essmann, who then introduced HB 200 to provide for safe, legal, and anonymous surrender of an infant through safe haven baby boxes. This bill successfully passed in 2023, and in May of 2025, Governor Gianforte signed a separate bill to create a grant program for the installation of baby boxes across the Treasure State. The Safe Haven Baby Box in Lockwood was generously provided by an anonymous donor. “I hope we never have to use it, but if we do, it’s a life saved,” Representative Essmann stated.

Initially, some folks questioned the Lockwood location for the Safe Haven Baby Box, wondering why downtown Billings wasn’t chosen, with its high volume of traffic and greater population density. However, the decision to place this device in Lockwood was no accident, as their Fire Department pioneered the effort from start to finish.

“When members of our department found out about this option, we immediately recognized that it would fill a huge void in our community,” shared Katie Haider, Firefighter/Paramedic and Public Information Officer for Lockwood Fire Department. “We do not have an emergency department or a law enforcement station, or even a post office. As a fire department, we have worked really hard to find any way possible to return the support that the community has always given to us. Bringing a Safe Haven Baby Box to Montana was the biggest honor, and could not fit our mission any better.”

Rather poetically, this particular Safe Haven Baby Box is number 343 – a number that carries profound significance among the firefighting community, as it reflects the number of firefighters who selflessly lost their lives on September 11th. May Safe Haven Baby Box number 343 serve as a testament to us all, as it provides a lifeline to those who need it the most. This particular baby box may have been the first in Montana, but it certainly won’t be the last, as interest is growing among communities throughout the state to expand access to these life-saving devices. While the box itself may seem small, the impact it will have on any family who chooses to use it will be significant.

Originally printed in the August 2025 issue of Simply Local Magazine

Check this article out in the digital issue of Simply Local here!

Tory Kolkhorst

Tory Kolkhorst grew up in the Huntley Project community, went on to receive degrees from Texas A&M University, and then quickly returned to the Last Best Place, where she and her husband, Collin, have planted roots to raise their two children, Kennedy and Crew. With a day job in federal government, Tory finds indulgence in audiobooks, reality TV, Crumbl cookies, and Taylor Swift songs. Proverbs 9:10.

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