CANTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Over the past month, the Canton Fire Department has lost 11 command officers to retirement. These officers take with them just less than 300 years of combined experience.
These firefighters held a multitude of specialized certifications and licensing, including leadership training. All but two of them were paramedics in addition to being firefighters.
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Fire Chief Josh Meier states, "These command officers have influenced change and provided leadership to our continually evolving, top-notch fire department. Each of them exhibited attributes that made them individually successful, while maintaining a common goal of providing the highest level of quality service to the Canton community."
"While our department will feel a void from their departure, qualified firefighters have been promoted to fill the command position vacancies, and we are in the process of filling firefighter positions with candidates that have successfully completed our highly competitive testing process," Meier adds.
Fire Department retirees include:
- Deputy Fire Chief Gregory Sprys-Tellner, 25 years of service
- Battalion Chief Kenneth Arble, 37 years of service
- Battalion Chief Michael Caruso, 25 years of service
- Battalion Chief Robert Glenn, 28 years of service
- Captain John Bartle, 25 years of service
- Captain Ronald Battani, 25 years of service
- Captain Stephen Gaggi, 25 years of service
- Caption Gregory Kowalski, 25 years of service
- Captain Thomas Kruger, 25 years of service
- Captain Thomas Lutkenhoff, 25 years of service
- Captain Craig Poike, 25 years of service