when the Bermuda Government turned down his offer of free fire trucks and opted to spend more than $1 million on new ones.

And Shadow Finance Minister Mr. Eugene Cox has branded Government's decision as "ludicrous''.

Capt. Tim Bryan, Commanding Officer of NAS Bermuda, said it was for the Bermuda Government, not for him, to decide whether it was more economical to accept the Navy's used trucks or buy new ones.

And if Government's economic analysis showed it made more sense to buy new trucks, "I have no quarrel with that,'' he said.

But he noted that the four fire trucks he offered Government at no charge were recently overhauled, to give them a new life. And they were shipped to Bermuda "at some expense'' mainly so that they could be left behind when the Navy leaves, he said.

Until very recently, "I received no indication they didn't want the trucks, and they were aware of my efforts,'' Capt. Bryan said of the Bermuda Government.

The Base CO said he knew the Americans would not allow him to leave the Navy's brand new fire trucks -- which were still under warranty. So he arranged to send them back to Norfolk, Virginia in stages and have them replaced with four smaller Oshkosh P-4 trucks built in 1970, which he could leave in Bermuda.

The trucks were recently overhauled, contained rebuilt engines, and would be good for five to ten years, he said.

The older P-4s were also simpler to maintain, so it was in his own interest to send the new trucks back to the States, he said. But he said he never would have made the switch if he had known Bermuda would not accept the trucks. "It never even occurred to me that they might choose some other options.'' "My intent was to broker an arrangement whereby I could leave crash/fire/rescue trucks that would enable a seamless turnover of the Airport, knowing that it's difficult to get in a timely fashion firetrucks on the market,'' Capt. Bryan told The Royal Gazette .

"My concern was that Bermuda would not have sufficient time to get the fire trucks that they needed,'' he said. "It seemed like a good thing to do to be good neighbours and good friends.'' Last week, Management and Technology Minister the Hon. Grant Gibbons announced Truck move under fire had declined the Americans' offer, and would only use the Navy's four trucks until three new ones arrived from the US this summer.

Including shipping, Bermuda is paying $1.14 million for the three T-3000 fire trucks from Oshkosh Trucking Corp. of Wisconsin.

A Government study showed Bermuda would save about $300,000 a year in manpower costs by buying the new trucks, Dr. Gibbons said. Only two trucks, each with five men, would be needed per shift, compared to three trucks each with seven men using the Navy's trucks.

Two of the new trucks would be equipped with a dry chemical system for firefighting required by international air authorities.

Capt. Bryan said the Bermuda Government had done what one would expect a Government to do -- determine the bottom line. "I don't dispute that it might be cheaper in the long run to buy new trucks that will last maybe 15 years than to take free trucks that will last maybe five to ten years,'' he said.

Capt. Bryan would not say how much he spent to bring the trucks to Bermuda.

"I'd rather not, because I'd get into trouble,'' he said.

Mr. Cox said he found it "almost incredible'' that Government would turn down free equipment.

"The money required for three brand new trucks could be utilised for other things,'' he said.

Dr. Gibbons could not be reached for comment yesterday.