Massachusetts State Representative Michael Soter (R-Bellingham) recently announced that the fire departments in the towns of Bellingham, Blackstone, Medway, and Uxbridge have been selected to receive additional state funding from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS) as part of the Department of Fire Service’s (DFS) Student Awareness of Fire Education (SAFE) and Senior SAFE grant program to support fire and life safety education for school-aged children and older adults.

 The announcement, made by the Healey-Driscoll Administration on June 3rd, unlocks a total of $1.6 million in grant funding to be distributed to 214 municipal fire departments across the Commonwealth.

 The Medway Fire Department will receive $4,700; Bellingham will receive $5,679; Blackstone will receive $4,700, and Uxbridge will receive $4,700. This program is designed to teach children the importance of recognizing the dangers of fires and safety behaviors. 

These towns are also receiving grants for the Senior SAFE program to be used to teach and improve fire safety in senior housing. Those grants include $2,200 to Medway; $1,865 to Bellingham; $2,200 to Blackstone; and $2,200 to Uxbridge.

 Since 1995, the DFS’s SAFE grant program has delivered fire safety education to kids and teens across the state. Since the beginning of these programs, the number of child fire deaths in Massachusetts have dropped significantly and in 2021 the state reached a two and a half-year mark without a child fire fatality, the longest period in the history of the Commonwealth. In 2014, the DFS launched the Senior SAFE grant program, to offer similar fire safety trainings to the state’s most vulnerable population.

 Rep. Soter commented, “I am extremely grateful to learn that our district has been selected to receive this funding.” He added, “The opportunity for the students in our district to learn the importance of fire safety is crucial to their safety and educating our district on the many preventative measures that can be taken will be beneficial to the safety of our community as a whole.”

 Rep. Soter further emphasized the importance of fire safety education for all ages, especially for our children and seniors.