MARION — The Marion Fire Department received nearly $7,000 in grant funding for fire safety, the department announced Tuesday, June 11.

With funds from a prior grant, the department also secured breathing apparatus equipment.

The $6,893 in grant funding is part of a program to educate students and seniors about fire safety and prevention, according to a press release from the Marion Fire Department.

Child fire deaths have dropped significantly in Massachusetts since the program was implemented in 1996, according to a press release from the office of state senator Marc Pacheco.

The self-contained breathing apparatuses — 23 in total — were purchased with $190,476 of federal grant funds from 2023.

The equipment “provides breathable air to firefighters in environments with oxygen deficiency, smoke, dangerous gasses and other airborne contaminants,” the Marion Fire Department press release said.