By Matt Gunderson
The Union Leader
LONDONDERRY, N.H. — The fire department has received a $4,000 scholarship for a training conference next month in Boston that will focus on preventing injuries and fire-induced deaths among the town’s burgeoning senior population.
Patricia Hamann of the fire department and Lori Silva, a member of the volunteer emergency response group known as ALERT, will attend the three-day conference in Boston, running from Nov. 14-16.
Fire Chief Kevin MacCaffrie said the training will be the first step in what could expand into a larger program in town, which focuses on training local firefighters and emergency responders in dealing with senior-related injuries.
As the town ages, and the senior population grows rapidly in town and across the state, MacCaffrie is investigating the additional training to deal with the demographic shift. According to a news release from the department, adults 65 and over are more than twice as likely to die in a home fire as compared to any other age group. Falls are the leading cause of death among the senior age group, said the release.
MacCaffrie sought the scholarship grant this year in an effort to begin educating his staff and volunteers about the problem. The $4,000 scholarship grant, which will pay all costs associated with the two participants’ trip to Boston, was recently awarded to the department by the National Fire Protection Association, he said.
The local fire department was one of 41 communities across the country that was selected to have participants attend the Boston conference.
“It’s the first time we’ve done this,” said MacCaffrie. “And it’s the first step in putting this program into place in town.”
MacCaffrie said no senior has died in a local fire during his tenure as fire chief. But falls and fire injuries among local seniors are a common problem his department has to grapple with.
“We know there’s an issue with fire injuries, slips, and falls,” he said. “This is an all-hazards approach to seniors.”
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