Arlington Fire Department Receives Grant Money For Education Programs

ARLINGTON, MA — The Arlington Fire Department will get just under $8,000 for fire and life safety education work through a pair of state grant programs, the state Department of Fire Services announced Tuesday.

The money comes as part of a $1.9 million package of grants going to 266 municipal fire departments in Massachusetts through the Student Awareness of Fire Education (S.A.F.E.) and Senior SAFE programs.

Arlington will see $5,481 for programs focused on children via the S.A.F.E. initiative. An additional $2,477 will support programs working with older adults through Senior SAFE.

Outgoing Gov. Charlie Baker celebrated grant funding as part of the state’s grant announcement this week, noting a milestone in the number of Massachusetts communities receiving money in 2023.

“We are glad that this year’s awards will support consistent, statewide, professional safety education in a record number of communities,” Baker said.

S.A.F.E. traces its work promoting fire safety for children back to the 1996 fiscal year. The Senior SAFE program is newer, launching in the 2014 fiscal year.

Funding for both initiatives, Secretary of Public Safety and Security Terrence Reidy said this week, represents “a smart investment in fire safety.”

“The S.A.F.E. and Senior SAFE programs bring trained firefighter-educators together with children and older adults to deliver age-appropriate fire and life safety lessons,” State Fire Marshal Peter Ostroskey added. “Fire service programs like these are part of the reason Massachusetts is one of the most fire-safe states in the nation, and I’m very glad that more communities than ever applied for this year’s grants.”