WEIRTON — The dialogue between Weirton Council and the city’s firefighters continued Thursday, with an informational work session focused on the potential reopening of the County Road Fire Station.

Members of council and firefighters represented by IAFF Local 948 gathered in the Rose Room of the Millsop Community Center to continue discussions held in two previous sessions during the last year over the possibility of reopening the station as well as hiring six new firefighters to support the effort.

Fire Chief Kevin Himmelrick explained the goal for the Weirton Fire Department is to be able to provide a response time on calls of approximately two minutes.

“Two-thirds of the city has that. One-third doesn’t have it,” he said, noting longer times to respond to some areas from the headquarters and Gilson Avenue stations — the only two staffed stations in the city.

Such a need for an additional station and firefighters was reinforced, he said, by Saturday’s fire at the former Cleveland-Cliffs tin mill facility, where no water was available, necessitating the need to call for support from several neighboring departments.

Lt. Mike Serafine, president of Local 948, explained, through the opening of the County Road station, the city would be divided into three response districts, with the new District 3 to include the areas of Weircrest, Harris Hills, Kings Creek Bowl, Owings Addition, Terrace Heights, portions of Weir Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue up to North 15th Street, as well as providing fire protection for Form Energy, Bidell Gas Compression, and much of the Cleveland- Cliffs and Frontier Group properties.

“All of them are within one minute of County Road,” Serafine said.

Through the hiring of six firefighters, each of the fire department’s three shifts would have a captain to serve as the shift commander and three lieutenants, with one lieutenant at each station. There then would be seven firefighters on duty per shift, with three at headquarters, three at Gilson Avenue and one at County Road.

“It’s what we’re asking to get this started,” Serafine said.

Himmelrick reported he has estimated it would cost an additional $600,000 per year to cover the expenses of salary and benefits for the new firefighters.

No decisions have been made as to how to fund such a move, but council previously had discussed the possibility of increasing the city’s Municipal Service Fee. The fee, established in 2004, assesses $2 per week from the paychecks of anyone who works in the city.

Ward 4 Councilman Rick Stead notes the fee, which is charged to anyone working within the city limits, whether they are a resident or not, sees each person paying $104 per year. He compared such a payment to those taken by surrounding communities which charge a percentage-based income tax.

“I work out of town. I pay a lot more than $104,” Stead said.

Mayor Dean Harris said he feels there is the potential to fully fund the request for six firefighters by doubling the fee to $4 per week.

“I was surprised at how much it brings in,” Harris said of the service fee, which is budgeted to provide $955,000 in revenue for the current fiscal year at its existing $2 per week level.

Harris said increasing the fee to $5 per week could provide more of a cushion in the event costs rise or there is a need to hire more than the proposed six firefighters.

Officials emphasized the revenue stream needs to be decided before any new personnel can be hired, though.

“It’s not that we don’t want them. It’s just that we have to find the funding,” Ward 7 Councilman Chris Jonczak said.

Harris agreed.

“I think you have the support. It’s just working the numbers,” he said.

Additional discussions are anticipated in the coming weeks, as council begins planning its budgets for the 2026-2027 fiscal year set to begin July 1.