Bradford's 'Safe Spot' scheme to help domestic violence victims could be rolled out across West Yorkshire

And a committee has been told that in one incident it helped prevent a young person from taking their own life.

The Safe Spot scheme by Bradford Council scheme involves public buildings such as libraries and community centres acting as a place where people can go to escape any issues they are facing at home.

All Bradford’s fire stations are involved in the project. Anyone presenting at a station will be provided with details of charities and organisations that could help them, and are able to call them without fear their abuser may be listening in.

Although fire fighters are not there to provide the advice and support themselves, they have been trained to spot signs of domestic violence and abuse, and give victims the phone numbers or contacts they need.

At a meeting of West Yorkshire Fire Authority’s Community Safety Committee on Friday, members were told that the scheme would likely be rolled out across all of West Yorkshire Fire Stations in the future.

Scott Donnegan, Area Manager for Prevention and Response at West Yorkshire Fire Service, said: “We’re working closely with domestic violence charities in Bradford to provide awareness and training to all our staff in the District.

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“All fire stations in Bradford are now safe spots. People will know that if you approach a fire station in the District you will be safe and cared for.

“We’ll look at expanding this across the region, because the value it adds to an area is huge.

“People who have been presenting at fire stations with a number of health issues such as mental health and concerns about personal safety.”

Councillor Mike Pollard (Cons, Baildon) wanted to know more about the initiative and what happens when a person presents themselves to a station.

Mr Donnegan said: “People asking for help is nothing new to the fire service. Staff are all DBS checked and have safeguarding training.

“We had one incident where a young person was about to commit suicide by standing in front of a train.

“Luckily she looked at the fire station and made the choice to go there instead.”

He said when a person does present at a station, a crew will “check off” from normal fire duties. Mr Donnegan added: “This might mean a fire engine isn’t available, but it could prevent a much more serious situation we’d have to go out to anyway.”

He added: “We make the decision whether a crime has taken place and we need to get the police involved or is there a health requirement for this person.”

Ben Bush, Commander for the Bradford District, said: “We’re really proud that the fire service is a trusted service.

“We’re not asking our staff to be counsellors, but we are giving them a greater awareness of what domestic violence is and what that signs of it are. It gives firefighters a greater confidence and understanding when they deal with people.

“It might be that an individual just wants a quiet space to make a call to an organisation that can help them, or maybe we’ll have to make some calls for them depending on the situation.”

Members were told that stations had posters in their doors informing people that this station was a safe spot.

Some questioned whether something more visible should be added, such as a flag, to make sure more people were aware of the service on offer at that station.