The committee decided that with the “intense growth” in the Bluffton area-- they believe that will bring additional impact fees that offer additional funds to complete the entire project without county assistance.  

As of May 29, no contract has been signed, so the estimate is subject to change, but officials are hoping to have a contractor officially hired and the preliminary work can begin within the next 60 days.

The fire department’s seven-person truck selection committee deliberated for more than 10 months on every detail that went into the engine. Archer, a member of the committee, said the idea to stray from tradition and go blue came from the younger firefighters who grew up playing on Big Blue sports teams, and whose children play on them now.

The process for getting a new engine began in 2017, after the department received approval from the Capital Improvement Committee, Finance Committee and annual Town Meeting to use funds from the budget to pay for it. Then, Archer said they put it out to bid for a year before deciding to go with Seagrave, a manufacturer based in Wisconsin.

A 2009 city fire engine and crew were responding to an emergency call with lights and sirens when the fire truck was struck on the front right side by a passenger vehicle at the intersection of Sand Lane and Green Street, according to Henderson Fire Department Chief Scott Foreman.

No firefighters were hurt in the collision, although the Buick passenger vehicle's driver was taken to the hospital. Meanwhile, the fire truck -- which the fire department had hoped to get another 10 years of service from -- has been totaled.