Stoneham and Winchester Fire Departments Awarded Grant Funds

A release from the office of State Representative Michael Day:

Representative Michael S. Day (D-Stoneham) announced Thursday that the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts has awarded the Stoneham Fire Department and Winchester Fire Department
grants of funds for the Student Awareness of Fire Education (S.A.F.E.) and Senior SAFE
programs for the upcoming calendar year. The Commonwealth awarded $4,354 to the Stoneham
Fire Department for the S.A.F.E. Grant Program and $2,600 for the Senior Safe Program, while
the Winchester Fire Department received $4,354 for the S.A.F.E. Grant Program and $2,600 for
the Senior Safe Program.

“I am very happy that my colleagues supported my amendment and continued funding the
S.A.F.E. Program,” said Representative Day. “Many people are not aware just how much work
our firefighters do in fire prevention, and this grant program directly impacts our communities in
a positive way. These grants will enable our firefighters in Stoneham and Winchester to continue the great work they do keeping us safe in our communities.”

Representative Day successfully filed an amendment in the Fiscal Year 2019 Budget that funded
the statewide S.A.F.E. Program, which teaches students and seniors basic fire prevention and
safety measures and allows local fire departments to interact with residents on a personal level.
Since the Legislature first created the S.A.F.E. Program twenty-four years ago, the average
number of child deaths attributed to fire has dropped by 74 percent. The S.A.F.E. Program is a
state-wide initiative enabling local firefighters to visit school children in their classrooms and
teach them about fire safety.

The Senior SAFE program, created as a result of the success of the S.A.F.E. Program, provides
funding to local communities in support of senior fire prevention training. Seniors are the most
vulnerable of populations at risk of fire related deaths, and the Senior SAFE Program has been
designed to educate seniors on fire prevention, general home safety and how to be better
prepared in the event of a fire.