Amesbury & Newburyport Boost Employee Safety with Grants from the Massachusetts Interlocal Insurance Association

Amesbury & Newburyport Boost Employee Safety with Grants from the Massachusetts Interlocal Insurance Association
REGIONAL – Both Amesbury and Newburyport were awarded grants from the Massachusetts Interlocal Insurance Association (MIIA), the cities’ property and casualty insurance provider, to fund safety and risk management activities and equipment. Amesbury received $9,912 in grants and Newburyport received $7,184.
Amesbury used its grant funds to improve safety in the local Police Department building and to boost cyber security in schools. The city installed new, slip-resistant, rubber tile flooring in the police station booking area – replacing 40-year-old linoleum flooring that had become cracked and uneven, creating a trip hazard.
“With close to 1,000 arrests per year, the booking room gets used quite frequently and had seen some wear and tear,” said Craig Bailey, Amesbury’s Chief of Police. “Removing tripping hazards from this area minimizes the opportunity to take out a complaint against the department and will make for a safer environment for both police officers and arrestees.”
Amesbury’s grant also enables purchase of computer hardware to be used as part of a new, system wide multifactor authentication program aimed to protect school staff computers from cyber threats.
In Newburyport, the Department of Public Services (DPS) used grant funds to purchase new ladders and chain saw safety equipment for the Parks Department to use while trimming and felling trees to clear power lines. Newburyport DPS also leveraged the grant to purchase and install backup cameras for town vehicles.
“This new safety equipment will help prevent accidents and injuries to our workers, as well as reduce the chance for financial losses to the city,” said Tom Watkins, Business Manager for Newburyport DPS.
For the 2024 fiscal year, MIIA awarded $1 million to fund over 150 grant requests from members for public safety activities and equipment. Municipalities were able to procure equipment to aid in property loss prevention, such as infrared cameras and moisture sensors, and to enhance cyber security efforts with assessments, training, and software solutions, among other initiatives.
“MIIA commends Amesbury and Newburyport for their efforts to mitigate risk, protect property and people, and prevent financial losses,” said Stan Corcoran, MIIA Executive Vice President. “Through our grant program, we’re proud to partner with our members to identify common areas where we typically see insurance claims and provide solutions that lead to effectively mitigating these losses.”
The Massachusetts Interlocal Insurance Association is the non-profit insurance arm of the Massachusetts Municipal Association. As a member-based organization, MIIA’s focus is to provide excellent service and quality risk management solutions to nearly 400 cities, towns, and other public entities in Massachusetts. For more information, please visit https://www.emiia.org/and www.mma.org.