FARMINGTON — Franklin County commissioners agreed Tuesday to accept a U.S. Department of Homeland Security grant for $64,118.25 to upgrade communications, add more mobile laptops and improve security in areas.
Tim Hardy, director of the Franklin County Emergency Management Agency, said a committee consisting of representatives from law enforcement, emergency medical services, schools and other agencies assessed the needs and applied for a grant.
It was recently announced that the grant was approved, he said.
Among the items being purchased are simulators to help law enforcement train in active-shooter scenarios and upgrade a repeater for communications for public safety purposes in Rangeley.
The University of Maine at Farmington will be able to add more security cameras to its campus.
Wilton will get additional mobile laptops, Hardy said. The county will also get mobile repeaters to help improve communications in northern Franklin County.
When emergency responders searched for a missing hiker on the Appalachian Trail in 2013, communication was challenging, Hardy said. Responders had to borrow mobile repeaters from Kennebec County Emergency Management Agency to communicate with each other, he said. The repeaters worked well, he said.
dperry@sunjournal.com
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