Fire departments across the North Shore will soon have more funding to teach fire safety in schools and throughout local communities.
The Baker-Polito Administration announced Wednesday that 248 municipal fire departments will receive almost $2 million in grants to fund fire safety programs for children and seniors state-wide.
Departments include Lynn, Lynnfield, Nahant, Peabody, Saugus, and Swampscott.
Each town will receive amounts between $2,055 and $10,656 to put toward Student Awareness of Fire Education (S.A.F.E.) and Senior S.A.F.E. programs. Lynn Fire Chief Steve Archer said the grant funds would likely become available to selected communities sometime in the next two months.
“The programs have borne some really good fruit,” Archer said of the success S.A.F.E. has already shown in Lynn and other nearby towns. “We know they’re having an effect on the numbers of people killed and injured in fires even locally.”
As part of the programs, funded by the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, firefighters trained in S.A.F.E. curriculum visit schools and senior centers to give talks and demonstrations about fire safety.
In a press release from the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services, State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey praised participating departments.
“The fire departments being supported in these public education efforts are increasing the safety of the people in their communities,” he said.
The release also stated since the student S.A.F.E. program was introduced in 1995, Massachusetts has seen a 76 percent drop in child fire deaths. As a result, the senior S.A.F.E. program was introduced six years ago to reduce the number of fire-related injuries for another vulnerable population.
“The senior program has been great,” Archer said. “We’ve been doing home visits and smoke detector and carbon monoxide installations … It’s a really good way to safeguard them.
“The two programs have just been outstanding and we’re really excited to be receiving this grant.”
