State Awards Public Fire Education Grants To Berkshire County Cities

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Pittsfield and North Adams Fire Departments were awarded state grant funds for fire education programs for children and older adults.
 
Pittsfield and North Adams were two of 239 municipal fire departments to receive a portion of the $2 million in grants to fund fire education programs.
 
 "Since 1996, the SAFE program has brought fire education to hundreds of thousands of students in the Commonwealth," said Governor Charlie Baker. "This program allows firefighters and teachers to work together to provide fire and life safety education to young people. This collaboration contributed to a major accomplishment. No children died in fires in Massachusetts last year."
 
 Fire departments in 235 communities will receive Student Awareness of Fire Education (SAFE) and Senior SAFE grants; four communities will receive SAFE. grants only; and three communities will receive Senior SAFE grants only.
 
Pittsfield received $6,380 in SAFE funds and $2,880 in Senior SAFE Funds. North Adams received $4,692 in SAFE funds and $2,480 in Senior SAFE Funds
 
According to a press release, The average number of children dying in fires annually has dropped by 78 percent since the SAFE. Program began. The Senior SAFE Program is in its seventh year, providing firefighters with the funding to deliver fire safety education to another vulnerable population – seniors.
 
"The SAFE and Senior SAFE grants represent a smart investment in fire safety," said Thomas Turco, Public Safety and Homeland Security Secretary. "Youngsters and older adults are historically at greater risk in house fires, but that risk can be reduced through the targeted outreach, education, and awareness programs these grants help to fund," he added.
 
State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey said, "The SAFE. and Senior SAFE Programs are successful because we have trained firefighters who deliver education to children and older adults. The fire departments being supported in these public education efforts are increasing the safety of the people in their communities."
 
The SAFE. and Senior SAFE Programs provide $1.9 million through the Executive Office of the Public Safety and Security to local fire departments. The programs are administered by the state Department of Fire Services.
 

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ADOPTED! Companion Corner: Cali and Kyzer at Berkshire Humane Society

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

Great news, Kyzer and Cali found a home for Christmas already! Still looking for a new friend for the holidays? There are plenty of dogs and cats and small animals at Berkshire Humane who would love to go home with you.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There's a bonded dog pair awaiting a new family at the Berkshire Humane Society.

Kyzer and Cali are both poodles. Kyzer is the male and is 7 years old, a quite a bit bigger than his sister Cali, who is a miniature of Kyzer and 8 years old.

Canine adoption counselor Rhonda Cyr introduced us to the two.

"They came from a household that couldn't hold on to them, and it sounds like they may have been abandoned by their previous owner with somebody else, and so they came to us looking for a new home," she said.

The two love to be around you and snuggle. But both are very happy dogs.

"Kyzer is 7 years old, and his personality is that he kind of wants to be in everything. He's very loving, very snuggly, as you can tell. And Callie here, she's 8 years old, and she is kind of like the life of the party," said Cyr. "She wants to tell you everything about her day, and she's a little bit of a little ham."

The two are considered seniors and really like soft treats as Cali just had a few teeth removed and Kyzer has a tooth procedure coming up.

"Currently, they really like soft treats, because they are both on the senior side of things. So they have had some dental work, so they are really in need of something softer. They are not big chewers at this age, really, their main focus right now is just really socializing and cuddling," Cyr said.

The two would love a quiet home with someone who wants to snuggle. They shouldn't go to a home with bigger dogs but if you have a dog, you can bring them in for a visitation with the poodles to see if they will get along. Cats will be fine and the preference is for older and more responsible children so that the pups don't get hurt, as they are senior citizens.

"The perfect home for them would be a quiet home that's not too active. Like I said, they're very social, so they could handle some visitors," she said. "They're very friendly, but I don't think that they would really enjoy any other dogs in the home."

Poodles need to be regularly groomed, and the prospective adopter will have to keep an eye on their health. Kyzer has a heart murmur that needs to be monitored. This doesn't mean he is in bad health, as he could live a perfectly normal life, but he will need to be checked by a veterinary specialist routinely.

"Ideally, he would go to a home that could provide further health care with a specialist in cardiac care. And you know, he could very well live out the rest of his life comfortably and happy," Cyr said. "We just don't have all that information at the moment, but I think that you know the way he's going right now. He's got a good spirit, and he seems to be pretty happy."

The shelter is hoping the to get them a home for the holidays.

"We would love to get them a home in time for the holidays. They've been here since the eighth of November, and they're really, really looking as much as the staff loves them here, we're really looking to get them into a home and somewhere nice and cozy so they can spend the rest of their life together," she said.

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