STOW — State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey today announced that Massachusetts fire departments can now apply for the Fiscal Year 2022 S.A.F.E. and Senior SAFE Grants.  Applications are available here.

The Student Awareness of Fire Education (S.A.F.E.) program provides grants to local fire departments to teach fire and life safety to children in schools. The program teaches students to recognize the dangers of fire and the fire hazards of tobacco products through 23 key fire safety behaviors taught in developmentally appropriate ways. Fire and life safety is easy to combine with math, science, language arts and health or physical education lessons, making it easy to collaborate with school teachers. Since the S.A.F.E. program began in 1996, child fire deaths have dropped significantly in Massachusetts. Massachusetts recently went more than two and a half years without losing a child to fire.

Senior SAFE is a grant program that helps fire departments teach fire safety to seniors, who face a disproportionate risk of dying in a fire. Fire and burn risks for seniors include cooking, smoking, home oxygen use, and electrical and heating sources. Because education is key to improving their safety, the Senior SAFE creates partnerships between agencies that serve seniors and fire departments. Together, these agencies collaborate on local fire and life safety education programs.

S.A.F.E. and Senior SAFE grant applications are due back at the Department of Fire Services by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, November 19, 2021. Any fire department filing the grants online must mail a signature page with all required signatures to DFS. A Microsoft PowerPoint presentation to assist you is available here. If you have questions about the S.A.F.E. or Senior SAFE Grant applications please contact the S.A.F.E staff in the Public Education Unit at 978-567-3381.