A Pledge for Fire Safety Earns Ten U.S. Communities $10,000 Grants Each From Liberty Mutual Insurance

BOSTON, Nov. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Tight fire department budgets across the nation have resulted in cutbacks in services, training and equipment, and even the closure of some fire houses.  But for 10 communities, local residents and Liberty Mutual Insurance have teamed up to earn the fire department a much-needed $10,000 grant.

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Liberty Mutual today announces the winning cities and towns in its third annual Be Fire Smart Fire Safety Pledge program, which awards $10,000 each to those communities' fire departments for rallying their residents to visit BeFireSmart.com between September 1 and October 31 and to complete an online fire safety quiz.  In total, nearly 80,000 Americans improved their fire safety knowledge and pledged their commitment to home fire safety on behalf of more than 4,000 local fire departments.

The winning fire departments, which competed against others in their population division, are:

Large communities (greater than 100,000 residents)

• Lexington (Ky.) Division of Fire & Emergency Services
• Norfolk (Va.) Fire-Rescue

Midsize communities

• Bridgewater (Mass.) Fire Department
• Caledonia (Mich.) Fire Rescue
• Covington (Ky.) Fire Department
• Middleton (Wis.) Fire District
• Weymouth (Mass.) Fire Department
• Wilmington (Mass.) Fire Department

Small communities (less than 10,000 residents)

• Denair (Calif.) Volunteer Fire Department
• Merrimac (Mass.) Fire Department

"This program is an extension of our responsibility as a leading home insurer to help families protect their homes and possessions, or to recover after a devastating fire, by enabling communities and their local fire service to unite in a common effort to become more fire-smart," said Greg Gordon, senior vice president of Consumer Marketing at Liberty Mutual. "We applaud these efforts by rewarding local fire departments with desperately needed funding to put towards education programs, upgraded equipment, or any other service that will help them keep their local families more secure."

About BeFireSmart.com

Parents are encouraged to visit BeFireSmart.com for resources designed to help families discuss home fire safety and prevention.  Games, tips to create a home fire escape plan and a room-by-room guide to preventing fire hazards are all available on the site.  Additionally, kids can benefit from the interactive fire safety quizzes and a downloadable coloring book that teaches the importance of never hiding from a fire fighter during an emergency.  The site also offers educators classroom lesson plans and resources for fire fighters.

About Liberty Mutual Insurance

"Helping people live safer, more secure lives" since 1912, Boston-based Liberty Mutual Group is a diversified global insurer and the third largest property and casualty insurer in the U.S. based on A.M. Best Company's report of 2010 net written premium.  The Group also ranks 82nd on the Fortune 500 list of largest U.S. corporations, based on 2010 revenue.  The company has over 45,000 employees located in more than 900 offices throughout the world.

The eighth-largest auto and home insurer in the U.S., Liberty Mutual Insurance (libertymutual.com) sells full lines of coverage for automobile, homeowners, valuable possessions, personal liability, and individual life insurance.  The company is an industry leader in affinity partnerships, offering auto and home insurance to employees and members of more than 13,500 companies, credit unions, professional associations and alumni groups.

Press Contact:

Glenn Greenberg
Liberty Mutual Insurance
617-574-5874
[email protected]

SOURCE Liberty Mutual Insurance