Starting on July 24, unwanted newborn babies may become better protected.
The state's Safe Haven Law enacted in 2001 was amended this year.
The law’s purpose is to better protect babies from being hurt or killed by abandonment.
It allows any parent to place their baby in the hands of authorities, unharmed, no questions asked, with no penalty.
Hospitals, law enforcement agencies, and now all manned fire departments are Safe Haven baby surrender sites.
"It rescues babies from abandonment and death, and saves mothers from being charged with a felony,” said Ross Mimms, executive director of Arkansas Right to Live.
“Just recently in Georgia, a baby was found in a wooded area; thrown out like trash by a desperate woman who did not know what to do. That child would have faced sure death if people wouldn’t have heard her crying,” said Mimms.
Fire departments across the state are working to get the word out about their new role under the Safe Haven Law.
"Children ages 30 days old or younger can be dropped off into our hands, and that's when we make the necessary arrangements to get the child to DHS officials,” said Captain Doug Coffman with Little Rock Fire Department.
With the amended law also comes authorization of Safe Haven baby boxes in Arkansas.
"This box allows complete total anonymity of the mother or father surrendering their child,” said Mimms.
Instead of a parent having to physically hand over their child to authorities, they can go to a box, open it, place the baby inside, and the box immediately alerts the surrender site.
"Once the door shuts, it’s locked,” said Mimms. “There are numerous alarms that continue to go off. The baby is climate controlled and they are in the box for a matter of seconds.”
The founder of the box, Monica Kelsey, brought the box before the Arkansas Senate Public Health committee at the state capitol for inspection.
The Safe Haven box is optional, and it will take private fundraisers to cover the cost of installation, which is approximately $10,000.
The first Safe Haven box in Arkansas is expected to be installed this year.
"We don't want these babies to die,” said Mimms. “They aren't unwanted, their moms may not want them, but someone does. And they will adopted.”