Municipal Officials are pleased to announce that the Town of Houlton has received Safety Enhancement Grants awarded by the Maine Municipal Association in each of their last two rounds of grants. Each of the grants is for $2,000.
The Public Works Department was awarded a $2,000 grant in June for the purchase of a Hydraulic Tailgate lift to be installed on the Department’s newest one-ton truck. Houlton’s Public Works Department uses two one-ton trucks throughout the year to haul heavy equipment to various locations in town. This equipment includes water pumps, wheel saws, hay bales, tamper plates and other items. The newer truck did not have the hydraulic lift which is essential to assist with the lifting of all heavy pieces of equipment to protect the employees from lifting injuries.
In October, the Fire Department was notified of their $2,000 grant award for the purchase of four SCBA bottles. These are used by department personnel when responding to fires. The Houlton Fire Department must adhere to a variety of safety regulations and are required to adopt a standard operating policy. This policy is designed to insure that all firefighters engaged in emergency operations will be provided personal protection equipment to eliminate respiratory hazards such as smoke, heat, toxic gasses and oxygen deficiency. The Houlton Fire Department responds to approximately 110 calls per year.
The Safety Enhancement Grant and Scholarship Grant programs offer financial incentives to members of the Maine Municipal Association Workers’ Compensation Fund. These grants are used to purchase safety equipment or services that assist in reducing the frequency and severity of workplace injuries. Improving workplace safety for municipal employees saves taxpayers money by reducing lost hours at work, cost of insurance claims and overtime expenses for employees who might have to fill in for injured co-workers.
The Maine Municipal Association has been awarding safety grants to Members of their Workers’ Compensation fund since 1999. The Grant program has assisted municipalities by bestowing more than $3.6 million through funding of 2,905 Safety Enhancement Grants and 396 Scholarship Grants.
Ed MacDonald, Loss Control Manager for Maine Municipal Association, advises the program received 177 applications for the first grant period and $149,860 was awarded. The most recent grant period saw 132 applications and $152,030 was awarded. Grants are awarded in May and October of each year.
More information about any of the Maine Municipal Association Risk Management Service programs, including Safety Enhancement Grants eligibility and applications, is available by visiting their website at 222.memun.org and click on the Risk Management Services link, or call 1-800-590-5583.
