Richmond Hill officials plan to use $4,710 in grant money to pay for a liability training program for the city police department and a fire extinguisher training system for the city fire department.

Richmond Hill Police Chief Billy Reynolds said Tuesday he has not decided on the specific type of training that will be provided by his department’s share of the grant.

“Generally, we’ll bring in an outside individual (who provides liability training) once a year,” the chief said. “Last year, we had training for the department’s supervisors and we invited other agencies in from around the area. In the year prior to that, we focused on basic patrol functions.”

The grant is provided by the Georgia Municipal Association. The GMA Safety and Liability Management Grant program was introduced in 2000 to provide a financial incentive to assist members in improving their employee safety and general public liability loss control efforts through training and the purchase of equipment or services.

“This program allows each city to stretch their budget dollars and provide a safer work environment for their employees,” Steve Durden, manager of Marketing and Field Services, stated in a press release.

For more, pick up a copy of the March 2 edition of the News.