North Reading awarded $6,313 in state fire safety grants

House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. (R-North Reading) and Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester) are pleased to join with Governor Charlie Baker and Secretary of Public Safety and Security Thomas A. Turco III to announce that the North Reading Fire Department has been awarded $6,313 in state fire safety grants.

North Reading is one of 248 communities receiving grant funding from the state Department of Fire Services in Fiscal Year 2020. Nearly $2 million in grant funding is being distributed to municipal fire departments this year.

The North Reading Fire Department will receive $3,965 through the Student Awareness of Fire Education (S.A.F.E.) program, which teaches students in grades K-12 about the dangers of smoking and other fire safety hazards. The department has also been approved for a $2,348 grant under the Senior SAFE program, which helps seniors learn more about fire prevention, general home safety and how to be better prepared in the event of a fire.

“The North Reading Fire Department has done a tremendous job using this grant funding to educate schoolchildren and older adults about what they can do to prevent fires and how to protect themselves and their loved ones,” said Representative Jones. “This is a proven life-saving initiative that I am proud to support.”

“The Legislature supports the S.A.F.E. program because the results it gets help save lives and prevents tragedies,” said Senator Tarr. “I am sure that the funding will help serve the children in North Reading well because the lessons, taught by firefighters, will last a lifetime.”

The S.A.F.E. program was created 25 years ago, and was later expanded to include fire prevention training for seniors. Since the S.A.F.E. program’s inception, the average annual rate of child fire deaths in Massachusetts has been reduced by 76%.

“S.A.F.E. is an example of the many successful and valuable programs that the legislature and the governor support on behalf of the citizens of the Commonwealth,” said State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey. “We are thankful to the legislature for their support of these vital programs, and thankful for expanding S.A.F.E. to include older adult fire prevention education. Additionally, we appreciate and applaud the continued efforts of local fire departments to maintain the highest level of service and professionalism to their communities.”