Firefighter speaks out after adopting little girl he found in Safe Haven Baby Box

A firefighter has opened up about his relationship with his adopted daughter since finding her in a Safe Haven Baby Box.

Firefighter Vincent was at work earlier this year on 2 January when he was alerted by silent alarms ringing out across the building.

The silent alarms had been triggered by someone putting a child in the Safe Haven Baby Box at the station in Ocala, Florida - the box used to allow someone to safely surrender their child without any judgement.

Vincent opened the lid to find a little baby girl inside wrapped in a pink blanket and immediately fell 'in love with her'.

TODAY

Vincent and his partner Katie didn't have children prior to when the firefighter found Zoey in the Safe Haven Baby Box.

They'd been trying for a baby for over 10 years and were even signed up to adopt in the state.

After finding Zoey - "I opened the box and there she is. I picked her up and she wasn't crying. As soon as we locked eyes that was it" - Vincent wrote a note to medical staff who examined the child, explaining he and Katie's situation and begging to be considered to adopt the little girl.

TODAY

Thankfully, just two days later, Zoey was able to go home with Vincent and Katie and the adoption was completed by April.

Reflecting on their journey as parents so far - Zoey now six months old - Vincent explained to TODAY how strong his bond is with his daughter, even admitting he keeps her awake slightly longer than he should just to spend more time with her.

"Probably one of my favourite things to do is just watch her," he said.

Katie noted how the day the adoption was finalised was 'easily the best day of [their] lives'.

TODAY

However, Vincent reflects: "It’s not about me. It’s not about my wife. It’s not about our journey to have kids. It’s not about me being a first responder."

Noting the only reason he and Katie decided to take their family's story public is so Zoey's birth mom can know she's safe and well, the dad continued: "It’s about this beautiful little girl who was given the chance of life, and that she’s been adopted, she’s loved and hopefully her birth mother sees it and recognizes that she did the right thing.

"She doesn’t have to worry anymore. Her daughter’s taken care of and is loved beyond words."

Topics: Parenting, Real Life, Life, US News

Poppy Bilderbeck

Poppy Bilderbeck is a Senior Journalist at LADbible Group. She graduated from The University of Manchester in 2021 with a First in English Literature and Drama, where alongside her studies she was Editor-in-Chief of The Tab Manchester. Poppy is most comfortable when chatting about all things mental health, is proving a drama degree is far from useless by watching and reviewing as many TV shows and films as possible and is such a crisp fanatic the office has been forced to release them in batches.