Photo by Craig Howell The Rev. Binu Sebastian of St. Paul Church provided a blessing over members of the Weirton Fire Department, and the department's new engine, during a service Wednesday morning at the city's Headquarters Station.

WEIRTON – The Weirton Fire Department has a new piece of firefighting apparatus to help protect the community.

The department recently unveiled its new truck, Engine 1, and Wednesday morning the truck and its assigned crews received a blessing from the Rev. Binu Sebastian, pastor of St. Paul Roman Catholic Church.

For the city’s firefighters, the new truck has been a long time coming.

“We signed the papers for this truck the beginning of March 2022,” Fire Chief Kevin Himmelrick said. “We waited a long time. It’s finally here.”

The new engine, built by Columbus, Ohio-based Sutphen, will be based out of the city’s Headquarters station, replacing the 2004 model Engine 3, which will be put into reserve status.

Engine 1 features a 750-gallon tank, a 2,000-gallon-per-minute pump and an onboard 250-gallon foam tank system that allows foam to be injected directly into the pump lines rather than using older methods that required priming pumps with foam concentrate stored externally.

This feature is particularly beneficial for responding to chemical fires, some tractor-trailer crashes or other incidents involving hazardous materials.

Himmelrick said the truck includes nearly $1 million in additional equipment, including $90,000 worth of battery-powered rescue tools.

At the time of purchase, the truck alone cost $850,000. Himmelrick said the same purchase today would be closer to $1.5 million.

The lengthy construction time for the truck was caused by COVID-related supply chain disruptions, though manufacturers are now building more fire apparatus than ever.

“A lot of it is the inability to get parts,” he said.

Mayor Dean Harris said he is glad to see the truck ready to respond to the community.

“Public safety is a number one priority in the city,” Harris said while admiring the new truck. “It’s impressive to see the size of it and all the equipment it can carry and the services it can provide.”

Harris said the truck will be especially beneficial when plans to expand the fire service move forward early in 2027.

Earlier this year, Weirton Council authorized hiring six new firefighters, supported by an increase in the city’s Municipal Service Fee. Expansion plans also include creating a new fire response district and reopening the County Road Fire Station.