CANTON — A former volunteer firefighter who died last month helped the Fire Department get two medic bags needed to help save lives.

After Norman A. Vashaw, 88, passed away on May 10, his family asked that people wanting to buy flowers for his funeral service and visiting hours to make contributions in his name to the Canton Fire Department, fire Chief Shane Gallant said at Thursday evening’s selectmen meeting.

“We got $750, so we were able to buy two of these ‘crash bags,’ or ‘medic bags’ for the Fire Department,” Gallant said.

The emergency medical response trauma bags, which cost $400 apiece, contain gear and an oxygen tank that can be used for life support on rescue calls.

Gallant said one will be placed in the rescue squad truck and the other in the Engine No. 2 firetruck.

In other business, selectmen unanimously approved an all-terrain vehicle use permit on town roads for the Canton Trail Riders ATV Club that club president Brian Jordan applied for. The board also discussed problems associated with granting ATV riders use of a town road to provide access to Hartford ATV trails after Gallant asked if Staples Hill Road could be an ATV access road.

“We’ve got people who can’t get to Hartford from Canton, so I asked what we have to do to get that,” he said. “But I learned it will take a lot of work.”

“There’s no ATV access to get into Hartford right now,” Selectman Rob Walker Jr. said.

Selectman Russell Adams said there is a process that must be followed to get such access.

Discussion shifted into how to prevent the few people who create problems when given such access, like speeding and riding with loud exhaust pipes.

“To me, I’d let things cool off, then maybe next year try it,” Jordan said.

Administrator Scotty Kilbreth said that if riders drove at reasonable speeds, such as 25 mph, “you’re not going to have a problem.”

However, he said, there are some riders in town who will not abide by that rule. “They’re going to ruin it for everybody else,” he said.

“You know, you just think about bringing business to town and you’ve closed off a main artery from Canton to Hartford, I am just trying to think of another way around this,” Gallant said. “Obviously, opening up the Water District road will probably not be an option because you will have way too many people on that road for people to still be walking on it, and they all bring their kids.”

Selectman Donny Hutchins said he’d love to have an ATV access road or trail in town to access Hartford. “But you’ll never be able to keep the riff raff out. Basically, it’s law enforcement and game warden stuff.”

“I go down to the Big Apple all the time, but not at 100 mph obviously,” Gallant said of riding his ATV in town.

Selectmen took no action.

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