LIVERMORE — Last week town officials were informed Livermore had been awarded a Safety Enhancement Grant by the Maine Municipal Association Workers Compensation Fund in the amount of $2,000.

According to the announcement, Ed MacDonald Safety Enhancement Grants and Scholarship Grants provide financial assistance to members of the MMA Workers Compensation Fund to purchase safety equipment or services to assist in reducing the frequency and severity of workplace injuries. The grant programs are designed to prevent injuries and improve workplace safety. The reduction in employee injuries also benefits taxpayers by lessening lost hours at work, cost of claims and potential 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 the Workers’ Compensation fund since 1999. More than $5 million has been bestowed in the funding of 4,034 Safety Enhancement Grants and 491 Scholarship Grants, the announcement noted.

“MMA does this annually. It’s a good way for towns to receive matching funds to purchase safety related items,” Livermore’s Administrative Assistant to the Board of Selectpersons Aaron Miller said Thursday, Oct. 1. “We received word yesterday.”

The grant funds will go towards the purchase of a self-contained breathing apparatus for the fire department, he said.

Fire Chief Donald Castonguay will need to make the purchase before Oct. 1, 2021 and submit proof of purchase to receive the funds, Miller added.

“Municipalities tend to keep their eye on this grant every year,” he said.

“We apply annually, usually for fire gear,” Castonguay said later. “A lot of our air packs will be obsolete in a few years. We’re trying to replace them. One self-contained breathing apparatus cost about $5,500.

“It’s a big help.”