The Baker-Polito Administration announced in February that 234 Massachusetts municipal fire departments will receive a total of $1.8 million in grant funding to support fire education programs for children and older adults across the Commonwealth.

Fire departments in 227 communities will receive Student Awareness of Fire Education (S.A.F.E.) and Senior SAFE grants; one community will receive a S.A.F.E. grant only; and six communities will receive Senior SAFE grants only.

Natick received a grant of $6,275 to partner “with local school system to teach fire safety” plus a grant of $3,255 for “Senior center presentations and home visits with smoke/CO alarm installations.” 

 “The Department of Fire Services’ S.A.F.E. grant program continues to make effective fire safety education available to hundreds of thousands of Massachusetts kids,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “Thanks in part to these grants, Massachusetts has raised a generation of fire-safe families and we are glad to continue those efforts with today’s awards.”

 The average number of children dying in fires annually has dropped by 78% since the S.A.F.E. Program began – a decline almost 30% greater than the decline in fire deaths overall. In light of that success, the Department of Fire Services launched the Senior SAFE Program to provide firefighters with funding to deliver fire safety education to older adults, who face a disproportionate risk of dying in a fire.

 “For eight years, the Senior SAFE grant program has helped provide older adults with home visits, smoke and carbon monoxide alarm installations, and fire safety presentations led by firefighters and service providers,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. “These grants help keep seniors safe at home.”

“Fire safety education works,” said Secretary of Public Safety and Security Terrence Reidy. “The S.A.F.E. and Senior SAFE grant programs allow trained and trusted firefighters to make a direct connection with youngsters and older adults in their own communities. These grants are an outstanding example of state and local partnerships.”

 “The fire departments delivering these safety messages are reducing the risk of fire, injury, and tragedy in cities and towns across the Commonwealth,” said State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey. “No child has died in a Massachusetts fire since March of 2019, and fire deaths overall continue to trend downward. Programs like S.A.F.E. and Senior SAFE are among the reasons Massachusetts is one of the most fire-safe states in the nation.”

 The S.A.F.E. and Senior SAFE 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 department and their awards can be found here. For more fire service grant opportunities, visit https://www.mass.gov/info-details/grants-for-fire-departments.