Keeping Weirton’s Fire Department Rolling
When a community’s fire department has a truck out of service, every day counts. That was the challenge facing the City of Weirton, West Virginia, this August when one of their frontline engines went down.
About the Weirton Fire Department
The City of Weirton Fire Department is a combination fire department led by Fire Chief Kevin Himmelrick. With 28 full-time employees, the department provides fire suppression, rescue, hazardous material response, dive recovery, public education, and medical first responder services to more than 19,000 residents across 19.27 square miles.
Chief Himmelrick grew up in Weirton and is a career firefighter. Entering his 42nd year of service (and 25th in Weirton), a young Himmelrick earned his stripes working on the trucks himself.
“In a small town, we have to keep stuff running all the time,” said the chief. “We don’t have an overabundance of extra trucks to use.”
The Challenge: A Downed Apparatus
Ladder #2 is Weirton’s first-out option, so when there’s a call, Weirton firefighters respond in this 75-foot apparatus. In August 2025, Ladder #2 underwent an annual maintenance inspection, and the mechanics detected the smell of burning oil coming from the rear axle. They recommended replacement of the gear oil in the differential. But when the city’s mechanics popped the drain plug they immediately saw the problem: A three inch piece of the pinion gear had fused to the drain plug.
“There were pieces of the pinion gear everywhere,” said the chief. “I knew right away that this was a replace, not a rebuild, situation”.
Seeking a replacement, Chief Himmelrick reached out to the OEM, Sutphen Fire Trucks, but was told there would be a 60-day lead time for a replacement unit. That wasn’t acceptable for a department that couldn’t afford to have an apparatus down for two months. Chief Himmelrick had already notified his mutual aid partners in Stubenville, Ohio, that they needed to keep one of their ladder trucks on standby in the event of a structure fire in Weirton.
Determined to find a faster solution, the chief turned to the aftermarket and quickly found Heavy Duty Transaxle.
The Solution: Fast Action from Heavy Duty Transaxle
The team at Heavy Duty Transaxle understood immediately that this wasn’t just another order—it was a public safety emergency. Fortunately, HDT had the Meritor RS185 differential in stock, though it didn’t have the gear set in it Ladder #2 needed.
The HDT technical team sidelined other projects and got to work re-ratioing the carrier to Ladder #2’s required 6.14 specification and within 24 hours, the unit was ready to ship.
From there, Heavy Duty’s logistics team carefully packaged the differential and expedited it through Old Dominion, a nationwide LTL carrier. When a cross-dock mix-up threatened delivery, HDT Logistics Manager Andrew Bodeau quickly contacted his partners at Old Dominion, who immediately scrambled to correct the issue, ensuring the differential arrived in Weirton on time.
“It was a true team effort,” said Bodeau.
Back in Service
Once the shipment arrived, the Department of Public Works mechanics wasted no time installing the third member. Thanks to the quick turnaround, Ladder #2 was back in service in just days instead of months.
“The setup underneath a fire truck is very different than an over-the-road truck,” explained Himmelrick. “Our mechanics had to take half of the truck apart – air tanks, air valves, and more – just to reach the back end. It was a nightmare and I give them a lot of credit for getting it done so quickly.”
“The team at Heavy Duty Transaxle was incredibly helpful,” added Chief Himmelrick.
Supporting Communities When It Matters Most
At Heavy Duty Transaxle, we take pride in supporting not only industrial operations but also the communities that depend on critical equipment to stay safe. Helping the Weirton Fire Department get back on the road is just one example of how the HDT team steps up when it matters most.