STOW, Mass.—The Healey-Driscoll Administration announced that applications are being accepted for $2 million in grants to support fire and life safety education for children and older adults, the people most vulnerable in the event of a fire at home.

 

The Student Awareness of Fire Education (SAFE) and Senior SAFE grant programs are administered by the Executive Office of Public Safety & Security and the Department of Fire Services. They send local firefighters to schools, community groups, senior centers, councils on aging, and other venues to teach age-appropriate safety lessons to children under 18 and adults 65 and older.

 

"The SAFE and Senior SAFE grants are a smart investment in fire protection, fire prevention, and fire safety for the most vulnerable members of our communities," said State Fire Marshal Jon M. Davine. "I want to thank Governor Healey, the Executive Office of Public Safety, and the Legislature for supporting these programs, and I encourage every fire department to apply."

 

According to a press release, the SAFE grant program has contributed to the steepest decline in child fire deaths in Massachusetts history. In 1994, there were more than two dozen child fire fatalities; the SAFE grants were launched the following year and child fire deaths never again reached even half that number. Massachusetts recently went more than two and a half years without losing a child to fire.

 

The Senior SAFE grants were created in 2014 to provide education, smoke and carbon monoxide alarm installation, and other services to reduce fire-related fatalities among older adults, who now represent the age group most likely to die in a fire.

 

Fire departments of every city, town, fire district, and eligible state authority can apply to share in funding for SAFE grants, Senior SAFE grants, or both. Departments must meet certain requirements, including mandatory fire data reporting, to be considered. The Notice of Funding Opportunity, grant application, and eligibility requirements are available on the Department of Fire Services' website. Applications must be submitted by 5:00 pm on Dec. 10, 2024.