Carlton ambulance director Erik Bergstedt sure is happy he was working at the Carlton fire hall on Sept. 29.

That's the day a woman walked in carrying an infant in a blanket. She told Bergstedt the baby was three days old, that he was born at home and she delivered him on her own. She did not want Bergstedt to call the police or any other EMTs, she just wanted to leave the baby with him. After she left, he called for assistance.

Although unusual, the situation worked exactly as it was supposed to, according to Minnesota's Safe Place for Newborns law, which provides an anonymous alternative...