Safeside, Birmingham
History
Safeside was built by West Midlands Fire Service as part of a new Headquarters complex in the Eastside regeneration district of Birmingham. It was officially opened by HRH Duke Of Kent in 2009. Facilities The centre comprises a full size street scene including double decker bus, car, canal, train and track, house, road crossing, shop, internet cafe, alleyway and police station. Safeside also includes conference and meeting facilities. Funding and Governance The centre is fully funded by West Midlands Fire Service and staff are all fire service employees. We have been generously supported by a number of partners in the development of our scenarios such the Co-op, Network Rail, Chiltern Railways, Western Power, Jaguar LandRover and National Express Bus. Nationwide Building Society have recently begun supporting our Safestart scheme, allowing free access and subsidised transport for the parents and carers of the under fives. Programmes All programmes utilise our safety village in an interactive tour of around 2 hours in small groups. For some programmes we are now offering classroom-based workshops which look at some issues in greater depth. Safestart: parents and carers of the under fives Safety First: Years 3 & 4 - volunteer guides Junior Citizen: Years 5 & 6 - volunteer guides LIfeskills: Years 7 - 9, partly staffed by students from Birmingham School of Acting NGAGE: Years 7-11, youth groups YOYO: 16+ Special Needs: all ages Contact details |