Press Release: 5/15/2026

State awards $1.9 million for fire safety education

 

 

The Healey-Driscoll administration on April 28 announced $1.9 million in grants to 229 local fire departments for fire safety education programming for school-aged children and older adults.

The grants come from two fire safety programs coordinated by the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services: the Student Awareness of Fire Education program, which brings firefighters to schools to provide life safety lessons to students, and the Senior SAFE program, which supports life safety education for older adults through senior centers, councils on aging, and home visits.

“The SAFE program has helped drive down child fire deaths for decades, and we’re building on that success by reaching more families and older adults across Massachusetts,” said Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll in a prepared statement.

Massachusetts has markedly reduced child fire fatalities since the SAFE program launched in the mid-1990s.

The Senior SAFE program was developed in 2014 to reach older adults, who account for about half of fire deaths in Massachusetts and across the nation.

Fire departments in 215 cities and towns will receive a total of $1.3 million in SAFE funding, while 226 departments will receive $610,000 in Senior SAFE funding. A complete list of recipients and awards is available online.