FARMINGTON – The county’s plan to prevent loss of life and lessen damage from major disasters has been conditionally approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The move means the county qualifies for federal money for disaster preparedness efforts as well as post-disaster relief.

In 2000, Congress decided that the United States spent too much money reacting to disasters and not enough avoiding them, so it passed the Disaster Mitigation Act. It designated $150 million for developing plans to reduce the risk to life and property from floods, storms, fires, high winds, hazardous materials and other disasters.

FEMA issued conditional approval of the Franklin County Pre-Disaster Mitigation Plan while it waits for documentation that all participating county towns and unorganized territories have adopted it.

Rangeley Town Manager Perry Ellsworth thanked the Franklin County Emergency Management Agency during a County Commission meeting Tuesday for work on the plan and for what the agency does for the county and communities.

County EMA Director Tim Hardy credited Assistant EMA Director Olive Toothaker for her work on the document.

In other business, Hardy updated commissioners on intended use of U.S. Department of Homeland Security grant funds.

Among the recommendations the county committee voted on were using $56,614 of the 2004 grant installing a third emergency dispatching console at the county Sheriff’s Dispatch Center, to be used when it is needed, and upgrading communications including towers and repeaters in Carthage, Eustis and Weld, and upgrade areas, Hardy said.

The remaining $7,650.55 would be used to improve communications in the Rangeley area, he said.

The county received a $119,047.39 homeland security grant in 2004, with $6,732 of that going to cover two new consoles in the dispatch center, which were purchased with 2003 grants.

That left about $112,314.87 to be used in 2004 for improvements. Of that amount, $20,481 went to Wilton Fire Department for air packs and communication improvements, $6,769.32 went to Jay Police Department for communication equipment and $12,000 went to Weld for a generator for the community shelter, Hardy said.