Region – Representative Kate Hogan (D-Stow) announced that additional grants have been awarded to “Student Awareness of Fire Education” (S.A.F.E.) and “Senior SAFE” for Fiscal Year 2018. Nearly $7,000 was granted to the Hudson Fire Department for these programs.
Administered by the Department of Fire Services, the two programs provide resources to local fire departments to conduct fire and safety education for students and older adults, respectively.
“The annual awarding of S.A.F.E. and Senior SAFE funds to our local fire departments is a powerful reminder of the awesome impact a state program can have on the safety and wellbeing of our residents,” said Hogan. “These funds directly facilitate fire safety trainings for children and seniors in communities across the state, empowering these vulnerable populations to be able to prevent and respond to this type of danger.”
Established in 1995, the S.A.F.E. Program began as the Student Awareness of Fire Education Program – a grant program to local fire departments that puts firefighter-educators in classrooms to conduct fire safety education in grades K-12. Since that time, average annual child fire deaths have been reduced by 72 percent.
In 2013, Hogan sponsored the creation of the Senior SAFE program after multiple house fires killed seniors in her region. This initiative is aimed at educating seniors on fire prevention, general home safety, and how to be better prepared in the event of a fire. In addition, these funds provide important safety devices such as smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, nightlights, and house numbers, where needed, to protect the at-risk senior population.
“Year after year, these programs continue to have a positive effect in building a ‘fire safe’ Massachusetts,” said Hudson Fire Chief John Blood. “Not only have we been working with the young people of Hudson since the program was developed in 1995, but with the development of the Senior SAFE program five years ago we are now able to reach out to both our young and old to educate them in fire safety. Our community is extremely grateful for all the support from our legislators over the past 23 years.”
The Legislature funds these programs through the Executive Office of the Public Safety and Security and they are administered by the Department of Fire Services. For more information, go to www.mass.gov/dfs and type “SAFE” in the search box.
