For Immediate Release

Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net

Whitman Fire Department Earns State Grants for Fire Education Programs

WHITMAN — Chief Timothy J. Grenno is pleased to announce that the Whitman Fire Department has earned two grants that will help support the department’s ongoing Student Awareness of Fire Education (S.A.F.E.) programs. 

The Massachusetts Department of Fire Services awarded the Whitman Fire Department grants of $3,708 for its S.A.F.E. Program and an additional $2,415 for its Senior S.A.F.E. Program. 

The S.A.F.E. Program is a state initiative designed to provide resources to local fire departments to conduct fire and life safety education programs for children in kindergarten through 12th grade. The program aims to enable students to recognize fire hazards and teach key safety behaviors that should be used anytime a child comes into contact with a fire. Since the S.A.F.E. program’s inception in 1995, the average annual number of child deaths caused by a fire has fallen by 72 percent in Massachusetts.

Senior S.A.F.E. is a similar program that was created to support fire safety education specifically for older adults, who are most at risk of dying in a fire in Massachusetts. The program builds on the success of the original S.A.F.E. program and helps forge a connection between fire departments and a variety of senior support agencies working in their communities.

The grants will help fund the purchase of smoke detectors for the community, as well as support the ongoing public education efforts Whitman firefighters conduct with residents.

“S.A.F.E. and Senior S.A.F.E. are essential programs that have made residents measurably safer,” Chief Grenno said. “These grants help us to engage with residents of all ages and help them be better prepared and able to protect themselves in the event of a fire.”

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