LEWISTON – Several Androscoggin County towns and school districts are seeking emergency management funding through a federal Department of Homeland Security grant.

Androscoggin Unified Emergency Management Agency Director Joanne Potvin said her agency has received $375,585 in fiscal year 2004 homeland security allocations. The grant is administered for Maine county emergency agencies by the Maine Emergency Management Agency. All expenditures must be approved under federal DHS guidelines.

Locally, the grant provides potential emergency management funding for Androscoggin County departments, but excludes the Sheriff’s Department. Funding is also available to towns other than the cities of Auburn and Lewiston, school districts and school unions operating schools within Androscoggin County. Potvin said Thursday that her agency had received 23 applications for funding from several towns, school districts county departments.

“This money is used to increase preparedness efforts for emergency responders and that covers the gamut of personal protective equipment, interoperable communications equipment, physical equipment, infrastructure and logistical support equipment,” Potvin said. She explained that logistical support equipment includes an array of tools and equipment, including breathing apparatus and incident response vehicles other than police cruisers and firetrucks. Training for first responders is also funded by the grant.

In addition to funding for emergency management efforts by municipalities and school districts, the Androscoggin EMA will fund a 16-hour per week position to administer the program. The County Commission authorized the EMA to spend $16,000 to fund the one-year position on Wednesday. The commission authorized Potvin to hire former EMA Director Peter Van Gagnon, who retired after 37 years service in May 2003, to fill the part-time position.

Apart from the county EMA’s funding, Auburn’s current allocation, which does not include the Police Department, was $340,000. Lewiston’s non-law-enforcement allocation was $510,000.