Henderson appointed Ludington fire chief.

Ludington Fire Chief John Henderson

Henderson appointed Ludington fire chief.

Around the County is a presentation of Preferred Credit Union, www.preferredcu.org, located locally at 266 N. Jebavy Dr., Ludington.

By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief.

John Henderson has been appointed the new chief of Ludington Fire Department. Henderson, 53, succeeds Jerry Funk, who retired Wednesday after serving the fire department for over 50 years. Henderson has served on LFD since 1992, the last three as an officer. He is a certified firefighter instructor and has instructed dozens of firefighters in Mason County. 

Chief Jerry Funk

“It’s always been a person goal of mine to be the fire chief and it’s really hard to believe that I’ve achieved that,” Henderson, who is a former Ludington mayor and former county commissioner, said. “I want to continue to build on the strong foundation that Chief Funk left this department. Jerry leaves behind a legacy and a very high standard. I am honored to call him a mentor, along with the other veterans on our department.”

Henderson said the command structure of the department will remain the same for now. He said he knows that Assistant Chief Ron Jabrocki and Lt. Fred Hackert are also reaching their half-century mark on the department this year, which means potential retirements for them as well. 

“Eventually we will be looking at our apparatus needs and also our training programs,” Henderson said. 

“I’m proud to see someone like John Henderson be appointed to this position,” said Mayor Steve Miller. “John has served the City of Ludington for many years and we believe he will continue to operate the department with the high standards that Chief Funk set.” 

Read more about Chief Jerry Funk here.

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