The Inverness Fire Department (IFD) opened its doors just six months ago, and is proud to announce they are the first site in Citrus County to be named a Safe Place and Safe Haven. The public is invited to attend the unveiling at the Inverness Fire Department on Thursday, June 23, 2016 at 5:30 p.m.

Fire Chief Joe Campfield says, “Both Safe Place and Safe Haven are cornerstones to the Department’s commitment to safety for children and newborns in Citrus County.” Safe Place is a national program that reaches out to youth to create a network of safe places for young people in difficult situations such as problems at home, being locked out of their home, or dangerous dating situations. In addition to Safe Place, the Inverness Fire Department is a Safe Haven, which is a statewide safety net program to help mothers and newborns with goals to reduce newborn abandonment in Florida. City Manager Frank DiGiovanni says, “The City is proud of this initiative to make sure children have a safe place whenever they are in need, and this is the just the beginning of the positive impact the IFD will have in this community.”

More information online:

• SmallTownDoneRight.com

• Nationalsafeplace.org

• asafehavenfornewborns.com