BEACON FALLS — Beacon Hose Company No. 1 will have to wait a little longer before getting a new fire truck.
The Board of Selectmen last week rejected three separate bids for a new 75-foot quintuple combination pumper fire truck. The move was recommended by a committee overseeing the purchase of the new truck.
Voters previously authorized the town to spend up to $850,000 for the firetruck. Of the three proposals the town received, one came in higher than $850,000 and two did not meet the department’s requirements, First Selectman Christopher Bielik said.
Beacon Hose engineer Paul Brennan said the committee will send out another request for proposals with a “drastic change” that will ensure companies will be able to meet the needed specifics and still be under $850,000. He declined to say what the change will be in the request.
The new truck will replace Engine 1, a 27-year-old pumper truck that the department officials have said is past its useful life. The new truck will have a pumper and a 75-foot aerial, which is a maneuverable, telescoping ladder.
Once the department receives the new truck, Bielik said, it will be the first time the fire department has had a ladder truck in nearly 25 years.
