Farmington selectmen accepted Department of Homeland Security grants for the police and fire departments during Tuesday’s meeting. From left are selectmen Dennis O’Neil, Richard Morton, Joshua Bell, Matthew Smith and Byron Staples. Pam Harnden/Livermore Falls Advertiser

FARMINGTON — Selectmen on Tuesday night accepted Department of Homeland Security grants for police and fire departments.

Police Chief Kenneth Charles said the grant is facilitated through emergency management.

The grant will allow the purchase of two traffic alert signs from All Traffic Solutions in State College, Pennsylvania. They can be mounted on the back of a pickup truck or telephone pole for temporary, permanent or semi-permanent use.

The signs can be used incident to incident, in work zones and can withstand up to 70 mph winds, Charles noted.

The quote for the two signs and accompanying accessories was $20,477.76. The dealer adjusted the price to $18,000 to “make it work,” Charles said. There is a three-year extended warranty, he stated.

Selectman Dennis O’Neil said the signs would be needed more often than not.

Selectman Richard Morton asked if there would be any “down the road expenses.”

Charles said no, by logging on to a computer the message could be changed. He noted the signs would have been useful Tuesday to warn drivers to slow down while fire crews battled a brush fire on the Fairbanks Road.

For antitheft protection, the signs are trackable, Charles stated.

They would be good to have in emergency or flooding situations, Chairperson Joshua Bell said. They could be deployed to warn motorists to take alternate routes, he noted.

When asked where they would be stored, Charles said the signs aren’t very big, can fold up and probably can be stored at Public Works.

“Other departments could use them,” Bell added.

Farmington Fire Rescue Chief Tim “TD” Hardy said his department received word it had been awarded a $16,433 grant. The money will be used to add accessories to a lift system purchased years ago, he noted. The system has been added to, with 85% of funding coming from the DHS program, he stated.

Hardy said the system had lifted school buses and had partially lifted a mobile home during training last spring.

Selectmen also accepted a $3,004 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant to purchase 15 holsters and 12 flashlights for the Police Department.

Charles said he has had requests from officers to purchase holsters for when they are off duty. “They’re used for when they have training, staff meetings,” he indicated. “The concern that I would have is, if we leave it to the officers, they buy what they want, and there’s no consistency. I prefer something approved through us.”