Mansfield Receives over $5K for SAFE Program

The Executive Office of Public Safety and Security joined with the Governor's office to award $5,265 to Mansfield as part of the Student Awareness of Fire Education (S.A.F.E) program for the 2012 fiscal year.

Since 1995, The Department of Fire Services has awarded cities and towns across the Commonwealth with grants to fund the educational program targeting students in grades K-12 with fire safety and prevention lessons.

For 16 years, the S.A.F.E. program has been bringing local firefighters into the classroom teaching students applicable protocol to use in the event of an emergency and warn against the fire hazards posed by tobacco use. Since the program’s inception, there has been a 66 percent decrease in the rate of children’s fatalities due to fires. Over 250 children have been named “Young Heroes,” and credited with putting what they learned into practice in order to save themselves or others.

“This is a great example of a government program where funding spent today ends up saving money in the end,” State Senator Jim Timilty said. “As chair of the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security, fire safety and prevention remains a top priority in any budget requests.”

All eight towns in Senator Timilty’s district in Bristol and Norfolk counties who applied for funding received awards in varying amounts.