Correction:
This story was updated to include the correct date for the town hall, which will be held Wednesday, July 10.
After a months-long hiring process that, like the police chief search, featured only internal candidates, Akron Mayor Shammas Malik has appointed department veteran Leon Henderson, 58, as the next leader of the Akron Fire Department.
Want to meet Akron’s new fire chief? A town hall with Henderson is scheduled Wednesday, July 10, at the Akron Summit Public Library in downtown Akron. The event starts at 5 p.m. In the meantime, here are five facts about Henderson.
Henderson has worked for the AFD for 34 years
Henderson began his career with the Akron Fire Department in 1990 as a firefighter/paramedic. He has risen through the ranks, serving as a firefighter/paramedic, dispatch supervisor lieutenant and captain safety officer before being promoted to district chief (2018) and deputy chief (2022).
Henderson shaped by U.S. Army experience: ‘Purpose and direction’
After graduating from Garfield High School at age 17, according to his bio, Henderson joined the U.S. Army, an experience which instilled “order, discipline and attention to detail,” and that “helped him come to his own as an adult in search of purpose and direction.”
During this time, he earned a spot on the Army Boxing Team. Still, he balanced athletic prowess and academic acumen as he found his professional calling in the accounting department.
After four years in the military, Henderson’s bio states, he attended the University of Akron, later earning an undergraduate degree in engineering.
Henderson currently lives with his family in Goodyear Heights.
Japan anyone? Co-owner of outdoor travel company
May 2019: According to Ohio Secretary of State records, Henderson registered a company called Epic Life Travel Out Doorz. The website states the company launched in 2014 with a business partner after a snowboarding trip to Chile.
The company organizes ski and snowboard trips to Japan. Most recently, according to his website and social posts, Henderson organized a “once in a lifetime adventure” last winter to Kyoto and Niseko.
“Through social media and word of mouth we have taken hundreds of Epic Lifers to Japan to experience its unparalleled powder and refined Japanese hospitality,” the company’s website boasts. “Although our roots are in the mountains, our spirits are driven by a profound sense of adventure and global exploration in community. We not only travel together but we live to party even harder. There is nothing like an Epic Life Happy Hour or a late night gathering during our fun-filled trips.”
Leon Henderson was a finalist for fire chief in 2022
According to a November 2022 Instagram post, Henderson previously participated in two interviews for the fire chief position.
“Nothing Wrong With Coming In 2nd Place,” he wrote, noting that he appreciated the experience. He added that it made him a better person and that his family was his true purpose in life.
At the fire department, Henderson was named deputy chief in 2022 after serving as lieutenant and captain safety officer.
The most interesting fire chief
Henderson, according to his company bio, has an unquenchable thirst for travel and adventure. His excursions prove it.
Henderson has raced motorcycles, obtained a rescue safety diver certification, ran seven marathons and snowboarded across the U.S., the South American Andes, Japanese Alps and Canadian Rockies.
As a wholistic health practitioner, he has completed month-long retreats in the Brazilian Amazon Rainforest and traveled extensively in South America and the Caribbean.
