LYNNFIELD — The town of Lynnfield is one of 235 Massachusetts communities sharing $1.9 million in fire-safety grants awarded by the state Executive Office of Public Safety and Security.
The Lynnfield Fire Department received a total of $7,172, which includes a $4,692 grant funded through the Student Awareness of Fire Education (S.A.F.E.) program, as well as a $2,480 Senior S.A.F.E. grant.
“These funds help fund our public education programs for school-age children as well as our senior safety programs,” said Lynnfield Fire Department Public Education Coordinator Jeff Fiorentino. “Normally, the schools program is designed to reach students from preschool through the 12th grade with age-appropriate activities.”
Fiorentino said younger children learn things like how to stop and drop, while things like cooking safety and safe practices with phone and computer charges are emphasized to middle schoolers.
“At the high school, it’s not so much fire safety,” said Fiorentino. “We work with A Healthy Lynnfield and focus on drugs and opiates as well as doing the mock car crash every other year, which we are hoping to do again after canceling last spring because of COVID.”
The senior grant is being used to supplement a town-wide program, which is a combination of existing and new initiatives that focus on preventative measures.
The product of a partnership between the Lynnfield Fire Department and Lynnfield Council on Aging, A Healthy Lynnfield (AHL), and the Lynnfield Rotary Club, the program has five components: medication, lockboxes, home safety surveys, a file of life, and drug disposal bags.
The lockbox program offers seniors their own lockbox, so that first responders have fast access to their home in the case of an emergency.
The home survey is an opportunity for seniors to have their home evaluated for fire or danger hazards — fire officials said this is not an inspection and would not reflect badly on residents.
File of life cards can be picked up at both the Lynnfield Fire Department and the Senior Center. The cards let residents fill in patient information such as medical history, allergies and medications as well as other pertinent information that EMTs and paramedics may need in the event of an emergency. The card is left in a red sleeve that is put on the refrigerator, and first responders know to look there.
Drug disposal bags are a safe way to dispose of unwanted drugs while the medication box is a safe container to keep medication seniors may still be taking, but want to keep away from guests and children.
“A Healthy Lynnfield is very pleased to be a contributing partner for the senior safety program. Providing free medication lock boxes and safe prescription drug disposal bags is a great way to work with seniors on medication safety,” said AHL Director Peg Sallade. “Part of a coalition’s role is to coordinate and leverage resources across the community. In this case, we worked to bring several pieces together, which allowed the fire department to maximize services to seniors.”
“Throughout the pandemic we have continued to receive requests for the lockbox, and I know the fire chief (Glenn Davis) has followed up with each request,” added Council on Aging Director Linda Naccara.
“At that time, he offers a home inspection to the senior,” she said, adding that she knows several of the seniors who received their inspection found it to be worthwhile and were grateful to the fire department.
“The S.A.F.E. program and the Senior S.A.F.E. program have both proven to be tremendously successful in raising fire safety awareness and reducing fire deaths among some of our most vulnerable populations,” said House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. (R-North Reading). “My thanks to the men and women of the Lynnfield Fire Department for everything they do to keep the town’s residents safe.”
“One of the most effective tools to prevent dangerous fires is education,” added state Sen. Brendan Crighton (D-Lynn). “The Lynnfield Fire Department has done tremendous work over the years to make sure that people of all ages know the dangers of fire hazards and this funding will help their efforts.”
