GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Grand Rapids Fire Chief John Lehman says he's retiring in May 2023 after 38 years in the fire service.
Chief Lehman joined the Grand Rapids Fire Department (GRFD) in 2016 after serving 29 years with the department in Aurora, Illinois.
Grand Rapids City Manager Mark Washington said that Chief Lehman will leave a legacy of servant leadership.
“The city has both benefited greatly from Chief Lehman’s hard work and dedication to the Grand Rapids Fire Department,” Washington said. “He has elevated an already superb fire department to one that is nationally recognized and one that is used as a benchmark for all departments striving for excellence.”
While serving as chief of GRFD, Chief Lehman also served as co-manager of the Michigan-Ohio-Indiana accreditation consortium to provide mentoring to other agencies in the region.
Chief Lehman is also credited to have restored the city's division of Emergency Management. When he first started in the city, he also served as the city's Emergency Manager until he brought on a full-time dedicated manager in 2019. The city says that "it has been invaluable to many different events that took place in the city including severe weather events, large scale emergencies, and crowd management."
The Chief also aimed to make the Fire Department more diverse and succeeded in making the last few classes have been the most diverse GRFD in history.
“I have been extremely lucky to have served the City of Grand Rapids and the men and women of the Grand Rapids Fire Department,” Chief Lehman said. “No one person changes the morale of an organization, but I have worked with an incredible team which has valued our employees’ opened lines of communication and allowed change to happen.”
“Serving the people of Grand Rapids has been a perfect way to conclude my remarkable career in the fire service. I want to thank my team of fire professionals, city managers, fellow administrators and staff, mayor and city commissioners for welcoming me to the City and allowing me to lead this fine department. I also want to express my sincere appreciation to the Grand Rapids community for the many friendships and countless memories made over the past seven years.”
Chief Lehman's last day will be May 1, 2023.
Axel, the fire department’s Labrador mix fire dog, will also retire May 1. Axel has proudly served since July 2019 and will be enjoying his retirement chasing squirrels and cooling off in the lake.
Washington says the city will launch a national search for a new fire chief in the next few months.
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