Student Awareness of Fire Education (SAFE)/Senior SAFE
SAFE programs are divided into two programs: Student Based SAFE and Senior Safe.
The Student SAFE program allows Townsend Fire staff to work with the North Middlesex Regional School District to educate students (and staff) on key fire safety topics. The depth of these presentations vary depending on the age of the students. The current concentration for the SAFE program is students from pre-school through 2nd grade.
Pre-School Students: Simple topics including what firefighters do, calling 911, stop drop and roll, an overview of firefighter protective gear, and a tour of a fire truck.
2nd Grade: The core part of our program is our time with the second grade students. We visit each second grade class roughly 10 times a year and educate them on various fire safety topics including: The fire triangle, calling 911 (practicing with our 911 simulator), match and lighter safety, smoke detectors, home hazards, what to do if a fire should happen at home, a tour of a fire truck, a poster contest, and ultimately culminating with an adventure through the Fire District 8 home fire safety house to practice some of the skills they learned throughout the year.
Since the SAFE program began in 1996, child fire deaths have dropped significantly in Massachusetts. In 2021, Massachusetts marked two and a half years without a child fire fatality, the longest period in the Commonwealth’s recorded history.
The Senior SAFE program allows our staff to work with the senior citizen community within Townsend on making their homes safer and discussing fire safety topics, fall prevention topics, and what they can expect in the event they request an EMS or Fire response to their home. We do this through presentations at Atwood Acres and Townsend Woods, as well at the Townsend Senior Center.
We also offer 3 senior citizen programs that work to make safer homes for our seniors, as well as make our jobs slightly easier in the event of an emergency.
Senior Smoke/Carbon monoxide detector inspections and installations: The goal of this program is to assist seniors who are unable to change out their smoke detectors or replace the batteries on their own. We will also inspect a home if a senior resident has questions on fire prevention in their home.
Senior Lock Box Program: In the event of an emergency, time can make a difference in the outcome, for both fire and medical emergencies. Townsend Fire has several residential lock boxes that can be mounted on the home of a senior citizen and we can store a key to their house in the box, and only fire department members have access to the key.
File of Life: In the event of a medical emergency where the patient is unable to tell EMS crews what is going on, the file of life provides us with critical information such as Name, Date of Birth, Medical Conditions, Medications, Allergies, and Emergency Contacts.
For information on any of these programs please email jcormier@townsendfire-ems.org or stop by Townsend Fire Headquarters located at 13 Elm St.
Read the SAFE and Senior Safe mission statements here.
Contact us for Questions about the Safe Program