Brookline Fire Department Awarded $10K Grant

BROOKLINE — The Massachusetts Department of Fire Services awarded Brookline's fire department a grant of nearly $11,000 to support fire prevention education in town.

The funding is part of an annual offering from the state fire services program to fund department education programming.

“The ability of our firefighters to work directly with students and seniors to educate them about fire prevention is truly a lifesaving tool," Chief John Sullivan said, adding the department has made a practice of requesting the funds.

"It's a great program, and statistically it has borne out with the sharp decline in civilian deaths across the commonwealth," Sullivan said.

The S.A.F.E. program was introduced within schools some 26 years ago. The state's Department of Fire Services, which created the program attributes its programming to the 78 percent decrease in annual child fire deaths across the state since then.

Things like buildings with better wiring, has also contributed, said Sullivan.

In Brookline, there have been very few deadly fires in the past decade. In 2015, a cooking fire ripped through an 85-year-old woman's home on Davis Avenue, and firefighters were able to rescue her, but she died later because of smoke inhalation complications. In 2007, a college student died in an early morning blaze in the St. Mary's neighborhood.

The Brookline Fire chief said the department will use the money to fund the department’s fire prevention and education program in school classrooms and the education program within the senior community, helping to install or check on smoke detectors. The S.A.F.E. program was awarded $7,860 in state funding, while the Senior S.A.F.E. program received $3,019.

Fire officials said it's critical for students to be introduced to fire safety at an early age, and the lessons are tailored to common issues for each age group.

Jenna Fisher is a news reporter for Patch. Got a tip? She can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna). Have a something you'd like posted on the Patch? Here's how.