State Awards $41,000 in Fire Safety Grants
Six Worcester Middlesex district fire departments will use the SAFE and Senior SAFE funding for equipment and overtime for age-appropriate fire safety education.
Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Financial Aid
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The Massachusetts state government has awarded $41,000 in fire safety education grants to six fire departments in the Worcester Middlesex state Senate District. The funding is provided through the SAFE and Senior SAFE grant programs.
Why it matters
The programs aim to prevent fire tragedies by reaching the most vulnerable age groups in the district. Local departments will use the funds to deliver fire and life safety education to children and older adults across Massachusetts communities.
The state awarded $41,000 to six departments, part of $1.8 million in FY27 SAFE and Senior SAFE grants statewide. Child fire deaths have fallen 80% since SAFE began, and older-adult fire death rates dropped from 1.8 to 1.4 per 100,000 residents; the per-department split of funds is not stated.
The players
Maura Healey
Maura Healey is the Governor of Massachusetts, whose administration oversees the state's fire safety grant programs.
Executive Office of Public Safety and Security
The Executive Office of Public Safety and Security is the Massachusetts state agency that coordinates public safety programs, including the SAFE grants.
Department of Fire Services
The Department of Fire Services is the Massachusetts state agency that administers fire safety training and education grants to local departments.
The details
Fire departments in Fitchburg, Groton, Leominster, Lunenburg, Townsend and Westford will receive the grants. Departments will use the money to cover equipment and overtime costs for fire and life safety education delivered in classrooms, senior centers and residents' homes.
Timeline
Grants were announced on November 10, 2026.
The awards are part of the FY27 SAFE and Senior SAFE grant cycle.
Season Trajectory
The FY27 awards extend the Massachusetts SAFE program, which has funded fire education since its creation and is credited with an 80% decline in child fire deaths. The Senior SAFE grants extend the same model to older adults, whose fire death rate has fallen from 1.8 to 1.4 per 100,000 residents.
Residents in the six funded communities will see fire and life safety education delivered in local classrooms, senior centers and homes. Families with children and older relatives in these towns are the people most directly served by the grants.
The takeaway
Fire safety education funded through programs like SAFE reaches the age groups most at risk, and families in participating towns can ask their local fire department about upcoming classroom or senior center sessions.
Further reading
Explore more about Financial Aid programs available to Massachusetts residents and communities.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Lowell Sun.
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