NORWAY – Selectmen will decide whether they will accept a bid on a new fire truck at their Aug. 17 meeting.

The truck the town is looking at would be custom built to specifications, said fire Chief Michael Mann. It is larger than the other trucks, and it will have a 2,500 gallon tank with a 1,250-gallon-per-minute pumping capacity.

“The reason we went with a pumper like this is because all these new (housing) developments – there’s no water,” Mann said.

The fire department received several bids for the truck. The winning company was Ferrara Fire Apparatus Inc. of Holden, La. The truck will cost the town $318,000. The money has already been raised through town meetings over the past two years.

The town must accept the bid in the next 30 days to secure the price, Mann said. Once the deal is sealed, it will be at least 300 days before the truck is on the road.

Selectmen met with fire officials Tuesday to discuss the purchase. Mann answered a few questions, then the group decided to delay the vote until the next regular meeting to increase the public’s opportunity to voice concerns.

Mann said the pumper will replace a 1972 truck, however the older truck will remain in reserve. The station must have one truck in reserve at all times to comply with regulations, Mann said, along with its eight trucks in service.