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Date: 1/18/2023
GREATER SPRINGFIELD – Fire safety is a perennial issue about which fire departments spend time and money to educate people. Early this month, then-Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration issued fire education grant funding totaling $1.9 million to a record 266 municipalities around the state.
The grants were part of the state’s fiscal year 2023 (FY23) Student Awareness of Fire Education (S.A.F.E.) and Senior SAFE programs.
“For more than 25 years, the S.A.F.E. grant program has provided hundreds of thousands of Massachusetts students with fire and life safety lessons that last a lifetime,” said Baker. As a result, the average number of fire-related child deaths has dropped 80 percent since FY96.
The Senior SAFE program was begun in FY14 to address fire education with seniors, another population who face higher-than-average risk of death due to fires. Then-Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito said, “This valuable program gives older adults the tools, knowledge, and strategies to stay safe and independent at home.”
In the Greater Springfield area, East Longmeadow and Longmeadow received $4,381 for their S.A.F.E. programs and $2,277 for their Senior SAFE education. Meanwhile, Wilbraham and Hampden received $3,871 and $2,077 for its S.A.F.E. and Senior SAFE programs, respectively.
The Wilbraham Fire Department applies for the grant each year. “It’s one of those grants the state puts money aside for and if you apply, you usually get it,” Fire Chief Michael Andrews said of the grants. Similarly, Longmeadow Fire Lt. Carl Viera said, “It’s been received every year for at least the last 11 years.” East Longmeadow Fire Department has applied for and received funds every year since the program began.
“We go into the schools every year,” Andrews said. Much of the fire prevention curriculum that children learn today is the same as in previous generations. He said, “We still teach them the basics,” including “Stop, Drop and Roll” and not playing with matches.
The Longmeadow Fire Department primarily visits first and third grade classes and teachers “what to do if a smoke detector goes off, crawling low if there’s smoke,” Viera said, adding that with older students, the program covers cooking safety and fire prevention strategies.
East Longmeadow Public Fire & Life Safety Educator Capt. Christopher J. Beecher explained that its fire education program involves “grades pre-K through fifth grade, where each class is presented with age-appropriate lessons on fire safety. Topics range from firefighters as community helpers, calling 911, match and lighter safety, kitchen safety and much more.” The S.A.F.E. grant also pays for “materials that complement the lessons, events that involve fire safety in the community, and our annual Open House.”
Of the Senior SAFE funding, Beecher said, “Funds from this part of the grant pay for smoke and carbon monoxide alarms for older residents that do not have them. This proactive approach to fire and fall prevention is a key element to protecting East Longmeadow’s most vulnerable residents.
The funding also allows the fire departments to visit senior centers and educate seniors on how they may be particularly susceptible to fire. With the senior population, Andrews said many of the fires the department responds to are cooking fires. “Someone puts something on the stove or in the oven and forgets about it,” he provided as an example. The department also instructs seniors to not smoke in bed or while on oxygen. He said a resident recently was burned in a small explosion due to smoking while on oxygen.
CPR is a valuable skill in case of an emergency. Andrews said the Wilbraham Fire Department is conducting a hands-only CPR training. Hands-only CPR focuses on chest compressions, rather than ventilation, Andrews said. The training will be at Memorial School on Feb. 1, at 6:30 p.m. Registration is required through calling 596-3122 or emailing safe@wilbraham-ma.gov.