For Immediate Release

Friday, Feb. 23, 2018

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

Georgetown Fire Department Receives Grants to Support Fire Education Programs

GEORGETOWN — Chief Fred A. Mitchell Jr. is pleased to announce that the Georgetown 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 Georgetown 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.

Georgetown S.A.F.E. Coordinator, Firefighter Donna Robbins, wrote the grant on behalf of the department and will manage the program.

The grants will help fund the purchase of smoke detectors for the community, as well as support the ongoing public education efforts Georgetown firefighters conduct with residents. The program will also support the installation of lock boxes outside seniors’ homes, enabling the fire department to enter into a home during an emergency without having to force their way in.

Seniors interested in a lock box should contact the Georgetown Council on Aging for more information.

“These programs are an essential part of the work that we do, and helps residents know what steps they can take to protect themselves from fire danger,” Chief Mitchell said. “I’m excited to be able to connect directly with our most at-risk residents and I’m grateful for the continued support of the Department of Fire Services.”

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