NORWICH – Last month, acting Fire Chief Joseph Angelino told the City of Norwich Common Council that the fire department needed to purchase a new truck as soon as possible. At Tuesday night’s work session, a resolution was passed, awarding the bid for the new pumper fire truck to Absolute Emergency Vehicles and Equipment in Endicott.

At last week’s meeting of the Finance and Personnel Committee, Assistant Chief Jan Papelino told the committee about the four bids the department had received for the truck. Papelino had recommended the council ask the companies to have the truck ready in 30 days of the bid process, instead of having to wait the typical six to 10 months for delivery.

Three of the bids were in the same ball park, and the fourth was a last-minute submission that showed the only vehicle in stock that could be delivered within 30 days at a cost of $362,000. Papelino told the committee that the first bid came from American LaFrance in Clay. The base price for the vehicle combined with the cost of a five year warranty totaled $238,940, however, the company indicated that they would be unable to meet the 30-day delivery criteria.