Page 22 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 2022 THE SOUNDS OF SAUGUS | FROM PAGE 21 spread of COVID-19. Those in need, even for shortterm or one-time assistance, are encouraged to come. The food pantry is located in the basement of the Cliftondale Congregational Church at 50 Essex St. in Saugus. Clarifying some veterans’ issues Jay Pinette, the Veterans Services Offi cer for the Town of Saugus, wanted to pass along a few words to promote a better understanding of how his offi ce works. “Veterans Service Officers (VSOs) are not VA employees and do not have direct access to VA systems or information,” Jay wrote in an email to us. “Local VSOs are employees of their respective cities and towns. VSOs are generally able to assist veterans and eligible dependents with VA-related claims and benefi ts activities. “One of the primary duties of the VSOs is to administer a program for veterans and eligible dependents that is referred to as ‘Chapter 115’. Under Chapter 115 of Massachusetts General Laws (M.G.L. CH. 115), the Commonwealth provides a uniform program of fi nancial assistance for low income veterans and their dependents. Qualifi ed veterans and their dependents who meet the income and asset eligibility criteria may receive monthly fi nancial benefi ts that are intended to assist the veteran with housing and living expenses. “If local Veterans wish to enroll in VA healthcare and/or obtain a VA ID card, representatives from the VA Bedford will be on-site at the Lynn VA Clinic twice a month. The on-site enrollment will be held on the 1 st and 3 rd Tuesday of each month from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. Appointments are advised and the dates and times are subject to change. The Lynn VA Clinic is located at 225 Boston Street, Suite 107. For more information or to schedule an appointment for enrollment, call 781-687-3348 or e-mail vabedoutreach@va.gov. “The Veterans Services Offices of Saugus and other surrounding communities have partnered with the Greater Boston Food Bank to hold monthly mobile food markets for veterans. With the closure of the Saugus Senior Center during the pandemic, the food market was moved to Melrose. We have now moved the food market back to the Saugus Senior Center. The veterans mobile food market is held on the third Wednesday of each month. Veterans and eligible dependents must sign up with the Saugus Veterans Service Offi ce to determine eligibility. VSO Jay Pinette can be reached at 781231-4010 or at jpinette@saugus-ma.gov. Or on the fi rst fl oor of Saugus Town Hall at 298 Central Street, Saugus MA 01906.” ASKS | FROM PAGE 9 And for the best part of my career, from 2008 on, I was assigned to the FBI Boston Violent Crimes Task Force. It was very eye-opening, seeing and working with law enforcement at the federal level – extortion, kickbacks and bank robberies, crimes on the high seas, crimes on airplanes. Working with them was just another opportunity to work on another side of law enforcement. They did great work and they were great partners – like my second family, as with my Police Department. Everybody that I worked with was very professional in what they did. I have no regrets. Attention veterans and surviving spouses Q: What is Chapter 115? A: Under Chapter 115 of Massachusetts General Laws (M.G.L. Ch. 115), the Commonwealth provides a uniform program of financial and medical assistance for veterans and their dependents. Qualifying veterans and their dependents receive necessary fi nancial assistance in accordance with a formula that considers the number of dependents and income from all sources. Q: How do I fi nd out if I’m eligible? A: By contacting the Veterans Services Offi cer in the town you live in. Here in Saugus, the Veterans’ Services Offi ce is located at the Saugus Town Hall and may be reached at 781-231-4010. Eligible veterans and/or their family members must meet certain income criteria, and their military experience must meet the Commonwealth’s requirements. The Current Income Limit for single people is $2,147.00 – and $2,904.00 for married people. The Current Asset Limit for single people is $8400.00 – and $16,600.00 for married people. Assets do not include your home or vehicle. Q: Are these benefi ts taxable? A: Chapter 115 benefi ts are not taxable income. You must report this income when applying for or renewing subsidized housing applications, Section 8 applications and SNAP applications. A smoke alarm alert for seniors The state Fire Marshal’s Offi ce has launched a new Public Service Announcement (PSA) campaign that is geared toward encouraging smoke alarm awareness among senior citizens – the people who are at greater risk of dying in a fi re. And this should be of particular interest to Saugus residents who may recall the house fi re that killed two elderly people on Richard Street last July. Fire investigators found no evidence of smoke alarms or carbon monoxide alarms in the home, The “Dear Grandma / Querida Abuela” PSA campaign began this month on television and radio stations in the Boston, Worcester and Springfield media markets. Recorded in both English and Spanish, it features a granddaughter writing a letter to her grandmother about all the things she looks forward to doing together, interspersed with messages about the importance of having working smoke alarms and replacing alarms after 10 years. “In Massachusetts and nationwide, people over 65 have a disproportionately high risk of dying in a fi re,” state Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey said in a press release. “Everyone should have working smoke alarms in their homes, but we developed this PSA to reach older adults in particular because of the higher statistical risk they face. Installing smoke alarms on every fl oor of the home, checking them If you don’t like this job and hate it, leave and go someplace else. Because your job is basically to help people. Unfortunately, we have to do things sometimes that people don’t like. Nobody likes to hear a knock on the door from police offi cers. But we’re there to help, whether it’s a missing child, somebody with Alzheimer’s who is out walking around – your job is to go out there and help bring them back. If somebody gets hurt, you provide fi rst aid. You help. Those are the good sides of what we do. Unfortunately, that doesn’t make the papers that often. It’s always the negative. But thank you for giving me a chance to share something about my fi eld. It’s been a rewarding profession, and I wouldn’t hesitate to do it again. Q: Is there a case or arrest that’s career-defi ning for you – something you will be telling your grandchildren about some day? A: I guess it would be that case involving the person who assaulted several girls. I put in a lot of work with the State Police and the forensic team. The School Department helped me. The fact that I was able to help these young girls – and to this day nobody knows who they are; I will never say who they were. Some of them still live in this community and some of them don’t. But I was able regularly, and replacing them after 10 years can dramatically reduce that risk.” Nationwide, about 60 percent of fatal fi res occur in homes without working smoke alarms. And in Massachusetts, people 65 and older comprise about 17 percent of the population but about 50 percent of last year’s fatal fi re victims. “Working smoke alarms are often the fi rst line of defense against injury and tragedy in a fi re,” Ostroskey said. “We invite our partners in the fire service, family members, caregivers, and social service providers to share these PSAs and emphasize the importance of working smoke alarms, especially among seniors.” Last year when Louis Gallo, 78, and his sister Rosemarie Naples, 80, died in a three-alarm house fi re on Richard Street, fi re offi cials stressed that working smoke alarms in your home can double your chances of survival if a fi re occurs. Home fi re deaths have been cut in half since the early 1970s, when smoke alarms were fi rst marketed, and about 40 percent of fi re deaths in the United States take place in the four percent of homes without smoke alarms. People should install smoke alarms throughout their home, test them monthly and replace the batteries when they change their clocks. If your smoke alarm is more than 10 years old, it should be replaced, according to fi re offi cials. The PSAs are available for distribution through the Department of Fire Services (DFS). They can be downloaded at the DFS webpage and can be linked or shared from the DFS YouTube channel. They complement the DFS Senior SAFE program, which provides grant funding for local fi re departments to provide fi re and life safety education for older adults. Let’s hear it! Got an idea, passing thought or gripe you would like to share with The Saugus Advocate? I’m always interested in your feedback. It’s been six years since I began work at The Saugus Advocate. I’m always interested in hearing readers’ suggestions for possible stories or good candidates for “The Advocate Asks” interview of the week. Feel free to email me at mvoge@comcast.net. Do you have some interesting views on an issue that you want to express to the community? Submit your idea. If I like it, we can meet for a 15- to 20-minute interview over a hot drink at a local coffee shop. And I’ll buy the coff ee or tea. Or, if you prefer to continue practicing social distancing and be interviewed from the safety of your home on the phone or via email, I will provide that option to you as the nation recovers from the Coronavirus crisis. If it’s a nice day and the temperature is 50 degrees or better, my preferred site for a coff ee and interview would be the picnic area of the Saugus Iron Works. to talk to them in full confidence and help them, and I think I made everybody comfortable talking to them because I could relate to them. And I think that was the best asset for me as a cop: being able to relate to somebody’s human side and make them feel comfortable. And I think they knew that I cared. And now we have a full-time sexual assault offi cer – Stacey Forni. Q: Do you have a hero or idol you look up to? Maybe nationally or locally? A: I would say, almost all of the other officers I worked with; they all did something great and made me think, “That’s really nice.” But on a personal side? Probably my grandparents. My grandparents, by no means, had any money at all. But they always, always, always pounded in my head, “You know what, everybody’s nice. Everybody deserves a break.” You could always go to their house at meal time, and they would add a little more water to the soup. They never sent anybody away. If somebody needed a helping hand, they would always be there. And then there’s my wife, throughout it all, working diligently with special needs kids for 20 years. That’s just got to be heart-wrenching, but she was always there to help those kids. And now my kids are doing the same thing – helping people. And I’m very proud of them.
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