WATERLOO - A popular safety program that was suspended last year for lack of funding will be rekindled in area schools.

Waterloo Fire Rescues' Fire PALS - which stands for Prevent Accidents, Live Safe - was shut down in October because of delays in federal funding that came as part of a changing of presidential administrations, Fire Chief Doug Carter said.

In August, the fire department received word it will get a $238,000 grant for Fire PALS through the Centers for Disease Control.

"Every day, Waterloo Fire Rescue is called on to help rescue, bandage, reassure, educate and manage crisis," Carter said. "Fire PALS builds on another duty, our duty to prevent the need for these services."

"We're always looking for ways to prevent bad things from happening," Carter said.

Carter recently named veteran firefighter Shane Schellhorn to head the department's community services coordinator, which includes overseeing the Fire PALS program.

Schellhorn said Fire PALS will be back in some schools within the next week or two. A session to train firefighters who will be teaching the curriculum took place last week.

The lesson plans include fire safety and accident prevention information for children in preschool through fifth grade. It also has a Web site.

The grant will fund salary and materials for Fire PALS, and a portion of it will be used to bring back the department's Juvenile Fire Setters Intervention program.

The Fire Setters program works with youths with the help of parents, schools, juveniles courts and mental health professionals. It was discontinued years ago because of lack of funding.

"Black Hawk County needs this," Carter said. "Kids need a positive way of being dealt with."

Schellhorn has been with the fire department since 1997 and has been involved with Fire PALS for the past 10 years.

For more information on Fire PALS, go to www.firepals.com.