AUGUSTA -- Augusta State Airport officials plan to use a $475,000 federal grant to buy a new, specialized truck for aircraft rescue and fire fighting.

The truck is a necessary piece for a proposal to bring bigger jets into the airport regularly.

It would have the ability to spray water or foam, and if needed could be operated by a single person, Airport Manager John Guimond said.

The truck, if things come together smoothly, could be at the airport by the end of the year.

The truck is a Federal Aviation Administration requirement in response to Augusta's request to go from a "Class 3," to a "Class 1" airport, able to provide regular air service to planes with more than 30 seats, Guimond said.

Colgan Air's current contract to provide "essential air service" to and from Augusta expires on Oct. 31 of this year, according to U.S. Department of Transportation documents.

The FAA received proposals from Colgan and Hyannis Air Service Inc., doing business as Cape Air, to provide air service out of Augusta for the next two years.

Colgan's proposal would bring in larger, more luxurious planes than the 19-seat aircraft the company uses now. Its proposal is to use 34-seat Saab 340 turboprop planes in Augusta.

Federal regulations require airports hosting regularly scheduled airliners with 20 or more passengers to have their own specialized fire trucks and dedicated firefighters able to respond in three minutes or less.

"The increase in aircraft size requires us to step up our level of being able to respond" with a rescue and fire truck based at the airport, Guimond said.

Guimond said the new classification of the airport would require the airport to have firefighting and rescue personnel at the airport immediately prior to a flight arriving until a short time after the flight departs. Those personnel would come from the Augusta Fire Department, he said.

That makes the truck the grant is expected to pay for a key piece of equipment if the proposal for larger planes in Augusta is approved.

Guimond said the state and city recommend Augusta go with Colgan and the larger jets, and the federal transportation department will likely decide within a few weeks.

City Manager William Bridgeo said the city will hold off on committing to the purchase of a specific truck until learning of the federal decision on which air service is selected for Augusta.

Bridgeo said the added firefighter-response capability would be funded by the FAA, if the contract is awarded to Colgan.

Republican U.S. Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins said Augusta and the Hancock County Airport in Bar Harbor will receive a combined $902,500 in grants from the FAA to purchase rescue and firefighting vehicles.

"Maine's airports, both big and small, are critical resources for the communities in which they exist and the people they serve," the senators said in a joint prepared statement. "It is essential that we enhance and maintain the infrastructure and safety at each of these airports in order to remain competitive and efficient."

Keith Edwards -- 621-5647

kedwards@centralmaine.com