AUSTINTOWN TWP., Ohio - Members of the Austintown Fire Department are remembering one of their own this Independence Day.

A new fire engine named after fallen firefighter John Fritz hit the road for the first time during Austintown's Fourth of July parade Tuesday afternoon.

It's believed Fritz died in his sleep last summer while on duty. The new engine now garners his name and his number, 181. 

It's a tribute that members of his department say is well deserved.

"His fingerprint on the department is all over the place," Tom O'Hara said, Austintown firefighter.

O'Hara says he and Fritz joined the department at the same time back in 1992. 

"Everything we do at the fire station, he had a hand in doing," O'Hara said.

"You couldn't ask for a more dedicated guy," John McHenry said. "There wasn't anything in this department that he didn't know or know how to do or how to fix." 

Fritz left behind his wife and five children, some of whom got to ride in the engine during the parade.