Maynard Fire Awarded Grant for Community Education Programs 

MAYNARD — Chief Angela Lawless is pleased to share that the Maynard Fire Department was awarded a nearly $7,000 grant from the state to support the department’s community educational initiatives aimed at children and seniors in town.

The $6,900 in grant funding from the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services was broken up into $4,700 for the Student Awareness of Fire Education (S.A.F.E.) grant program and $2,200 for the state’s Senior S.A.F.E. program, which aims to reduce older adult fire deaths through fire and life safety education.

Captain Michael Parr and Firefighter Jenn Hureau coordinate the Maynard S.A.F.E program offerings which include a visit to every Maynard Public School classroom for students in Pre-K through Grade 5, community outreach at Maynardfest and the Farmer’s Market, demonstrations for the Maynard Youth Police Academy and Public Safety Day, and numerous other touch-a-truck and community events such as Downtown Trick or Treat in the fall and Egg Hunt for Hazards in the Spring.  

Firefighter Hureau has also partnered with the Maynard Council on Aging, providing monthly columns in the newsletter, programs on fall prevention, and has conducted numerous home safety visits.  

“We are excited to have received these funds. With this support and new funding support in Town, we hope to create new programs and expand our reach in the community,” said Captain Parr, who was named the 2023 Fire and Life Safety Educator of the Year Award in recognition of the accomplishments of the S.A.F.E. programs. “Every firefighter is empowered to make each interaction about safety. We encourage the community to reach out if they have a fire safety concern that they need assistance with.” 

This funding allows Maynard Fire to provide essential life safety programs to the community, which have proven successful over the years. Within the past year, participants of the S.A.F.E. or Senior S.A.F.E programs have been able to recognize a fire, safely evacuate from their homes, and call 911 for help. 

“I would like to thank the Department of Fire Services for awarding us this grant funding,” said Chief Lawless. “Community engagement and education is of utmost importance and this funding will allow us to expand and continue our S.A.F.E. programs. I would also like to thank Capt. Parr and Firefighter Hureau for their commitment and dedication to creating these programs and teaching our residents valuable lessons as it relates to safety and well-being.” 
 
To request a program or ask a question about public education opportunities, please contact Captain Parr at mparr@townofmaynard.net. 

About S.A.F.E.

The Student Awareness of Fire Education (SAFE) 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.  In 2021, Massachusetts marked two and a half years without a child fire fatality, the longest period in the Commonwealth’s recorded history.

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