NORWAY – The Fire Department is expected to apply for a federal grant that, if approved, could mean adding three full-time firefighters to the volunteer department.

“It would be foolish not to apply for it,” Town Manager David Holt told selectmen Thursday night when Deputy Chief Dennis Yates spoke to the board about the grant.

In March, the Board of Selectmen was told by Fire Department officials that daytime staffing shortages on the Norway, Paris and Oxford fire departments should be addressed on a regional basis and that a Federal Emergency Management grant called SAFER might be available for funding.

The Staffing For Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant program is intended to improve manpower for fire departments. It could provide towns up to $100,000 for four of the five-year grant cycle, with the towns being responsible for the fifth year.

The grant was created to provide funding directly to fire departments, including volunteer firefighter organizations, to help increase the number of trained front-line firefighters.

The end result is geared toward reducing the amount of response time by increasing the staff.

The application is expected to be released next month by the Federal Emergency Management Association.

Holt said that if the economy remains in a downward slide, it is possible that Norway may be heading toward combining its fire department with Paris and Oxford.

“If the board decided the time is here, we have to be prepared,” Holt said of the grant-writing process.

While Norway has some day-time firefighters who work in the Highway Department and town hall, Paris has no in-town available firefighters during the day. Oxford has several part-time firefighters.

“It works because of volunteers,” Holt said of the Norway Fire Department.

According to the regional report given to selectmen in March, all three towns have increased fire calls including Norway, which responded to 259 calls last year. Oxford responded to 292, and Paris 302 calls. Paris had the highest increase with 57 more than in 2007.

A total of 73 percent were daytime calls. During the last four years, manpower availability on the Fire Department has decreased by 49 percent during daytime hours, and most members travel about 40 minutes to their jobs, according to the report.

Although the report said Norway and Paris have not reached a staffing crisis yet, Oxford has already put daytime staff in place due to an insufficient number of firefighters.

Because a structure fire requires 21 firefighters and no less than 13, fire officials say it is impossible for the three towns to assemble a sufficient number of qualified firefighters quick enough to stage and commence an aggressive attack.

If the town does apply and is awarded a grant, town meeting voters will have to accept it.

Then the process to hire full-time firefighters would begin.

Selectman Chairman Bill Damon said it would be important for existing firefighters to be in the loop during a hiring process.

“This is about getting the best firefighter you can get,” Holt said.

He said the firefighters must be hired on their merit and would most likely be hired through a combination of the fire chief and town manager’s recommendations.

The 2008 SAFER grants were distributed recently. The Kennebunk Fire Department received $426,600 for hiring and recruitment.