So the county has been working on securing money for the rural fire departments.

“They got out, did door-to-door surveys in Furman as well and got the numbers pulled together and we submitted an application through the Lowcountry Council of Governments and it was awarded,” said Hampton County administrator, Rose Dobson-Elliot.

Those numbers showed that there was a need for the new trucks in Yemassee.

“You have to meet a certain income level, in other words, 51 percent or more of the affected population has to be low to moderate income,” said Dobson-Elliot.

The grant will award each department $250,000 to design their new apparatus.

"I’m hoping, if the budget allows, I’ll be able to get this truck set up as a rescue pumper for the interstate. So we'll have more foam, hydraulics on hand, stuff like that,” said Chief Bishop.

The truck holds 2,500 gallons of water. Water always has been the challenge in rural firefighting, Kessler said.

A pumper truck carries a limited amount of water and can be hooked up to a hydrant, and a tanker truck is what is used to carry water. The fire district's new truck is a hybrid: It has a pump that allows personnel to deliver water to a fire, and it still is able to carry water for sustained operations.

The truck, which is to be used as a first-run building firefighting truck, and the department's current tanker, which carries 3,000 gallons of water, will allow the department to deliver 5,500 gallons of water to a fire scene to buy time until a department offering mutual aid comes, Kessler said.

He said that depending on the fire, the department often needs 10,000 to 15,000 gallons of water to fight a fire in a rural setting.

The new truck replaces a 1983 pumper. The fire district's fleet also includes one grass fire truck, an equipment van, an engine and a tanker.