STOW — The Baker-Polito Administration today announced that 266 municipal fire departments will receive $1.9 million in grants to fund fire and life safety education for children and older adults, setting a new record for the Student Awareness of Fire Education (S.A.F.E.) and Senior SAFE programs. The previous record of 253 communities was set in FY 2018.

 

"For more than 25 years, the S.A.F.E. grant program has provided hundreds of thousands of Massachusetts students with fire and life safety lessons that last a lifetime," said Governor Charlie Baker. "We are glad that this year's awards will support consistent, statewide, professional safety education in a record number of communities."

 

The average number of children who die in fires annually has dropped by nearly 80 percent since the S.A.F.E. program began in FY 1996, and Massachusetts recently went nearly three years without losing a child to fire. The Senior SAFE program was launched in FY 2014, funding fire safety education for another vulnerable population – seniors, who face a disproportionate risk of dying in a fire at home.

 

"The Senior SAFE grants support home visits, smoke and CO alarm installations, and fire safety presentations delivered by firefighters in partnership with service providers," said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. "This valuable program gives older adults the tools, knowledge, and strategies to stay safe and independent at home."

 

This year's awards will provide $1,103,488 in S.A.F.E. funding for 262 fire departments; $562,194 in Senior SAFE funding for 265 fire departments; and $252,783 for regional trailer props used by multiple fire departments to teach and demonstrate fire safety skills. Every department that applied for a grant received funding. 

 

The S.A.F.E. and Senior SAFE grant programs are funded through legislative earmarks to the Executive Office of the Public Safety & Security, and they are administered by the Department of Fire Services. A full list of recipient departments and their awards is attached. For more fire service grant opportunities, visit https://www.mass.gov/info-details/grants-for-fire-departments.