Longtime Canton Firefighter Retires After 28 Years: Department

CANTON, MI — The Canton Fire Department has announced the retirement of a longtime firefighter with the department, who also served in a series of other roles with the department.

Canton Fire Captain Kevin Henderson is retiring later this month following 28 years with the department, the department said Tuesday in a post to social media.

“Captain Henderson has served our community and nation with pride and dignity, both as a veteran and a 28-year career firefighter," said Chris Stoecklein, Deputy Director of Fire. "He has set an example of leadership and dedication, and will leave a gap in our organization that will be hard to fill. Kevin is the kind of employee that every employer seeks to find, and we wish him well in his new ventures."

Henderson started with the department as a firefighter in 1992 before earning his paramedic license in 2000, when the department converted from Basic to an Advanced Life Support medical provider.

As a firefighter and paramedic, Henderson was assigned to an ambulance, providing emergency medical treatment to thousands of patients with varying injuries and illnesses, the department said. He was later trained as an operator, running the multi-faceted fire engines and pumper trucks on fire scenes.

Henderson also served as a fire inspector for several years in the Fire Prevention Unit, performing building inspections, plan reviews and fire safety promotions throughout the community.

As a captain, Henderson was responsible for numerous administrative duties, along with overseeing a crew of firefighters responding to fire and medical calls for service.

Henderson has taken on numerous additional assignments throughout the years, most notably as a member and team leader of the Western-Wayne County Hazardous Materials Response Team, the department said. The department said the regional team of firefighters is highly-trained in the rescue, response and recovery of high-risk situations involving hazardous materials.

Henderson has been deployed out-of-state for hurricane relief efforts, and most recently responded to Midland, Michigan, for swift water rescues, following a dam break in that area that caused mass flooding and prompted the evacuation of thousands.