LAS VEGAS – SafeNest and the Las Vegas Fire & Rescue Department (LVFR) today announced a partnership to train all frontline staff and field crews on how to support victims when responding on domestic violence and possible human trafficking calls.
Research shows that 83 percent of victims, perpetrators, or both, had contact with criminal justice, victim assistance and/or health care agencies in the year prior to homicide, indicating multiple opportunities for prevention through risk assessment training and intervention.
“Patterns used by both abusers and traffickers to groom and control victims often overlap, with tactics including physical abuse, manipulation, and sexual violence,” said Liz Ortenburger, SafeNest CEO. “Training first responders to recognize and identify signs of abuse can be a critical first step in preventing possible homicide.”
LVFR and SafeNest will be conducting more than 50 one-hour training sessions throughout January, National Human Trafficking Awareness Month. Nevada ranks ninth in the nation for human trafficking and seventh in the rankings of women murdered by men.
“Las Vegas Fire & Rescue responds to more than 90,000 calls for service a year and anything that we can do to be better trained to help our community is something we want to take advantage of,” said Las Vegas Fire & Rescue Chief Jeff Buchanan. “I want to thank SafeNest for providing subject matter experts to train the men and women of Las Vegas Fire & Rescue.”
Some of the topics in the training include:
• Recognizing and identifying signs of human trafficking and domestic violence
• Reacting and interacting with possible victims
• Procedures and documentation
• Resources and support
“Statistics show that only 4 percent of domestic violence victims reach out to an agency like SafeNest in the year before they are murdered,” said Liz Ortenburger, SafeNest CEO. “So, the question becomes how can we support victims BEFORE they reach lethality? By training first responders like Las Vegas Fire & Rescue and arming them with resources to support victims on the frontlines.”
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ABOUT SAFENEST
SafeNest is Nevada’s largest and most comprehensive non-profit agency dedicated to ending the epidemic of domestic violence in Clark County. What sets SafeNest apart is the commitment to treating the entire continuum of violence from prevention to protection to empowerment. Since opening its doors in 1977, SafeNest has answered over 500,000 hotline calls and sheltered over 20,000 individuals. Programs include: 24-hour domestic violence hotline, confidential shelter, protection order services, counseling, advocacy, court assistance and prevention education. For more information, visit www.safenest.org. For immediate help and support, call, or text the 24/7 domestic violence hotline at 702-646-4981.
Media Contacts:
Laurie Cody, SafeNest 512-423-8857/702-821-2731
Jace Radke, City of Las Vegas 702-229-2205/702-249-3514
