Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


Green Oak Township’s beloved fire chief is retiring after decades of serving the community.

The Board of Trustees met Wednesday night and accepted Fire Chief Kevin Gentry’s retirement resignation “with extreme regret” and wished him all the best. Prior to the motion, board members shared stories and fond memories of Gentry, along with some laughs.

Gentry started out with the department in 1993 after being on a couple of other departments previously as a paid on-call firefighter. At Green Oak, Gentry worked his way up serving as a firefighter, lieutenant, captain, deputy chief, and then chief. He’s been chief for the last eleven years.

It’s a bittersweet situation as the retirement is medical-related.

Gentry’s retirement letter states:

“For the last 33 years, it has been my great honor and privilege to serve Green Oak Charter Township, its Board, and its citizens, as a member and then leader of the Fire Department. Unfortunately, as I expressed at a prior Board meeting, my respiratory health has suffered from all of those years and incidents to the point that I am no longer able to perform the role of Fire Chief at the level I expect of myself and all members of the Department and the level that all our citizens deserve. Accordingly, I will be medically retiring from the Department with my last day of work being June 30th, 2026. I will, of course, remain available to assist the Board in the process of selecting a new Chief and be available as a resource the new Chief at whatever level my replacement desires. I very much appreciate the support and leadership of the Board during my decades of service and wish you, the Department, the Township, and its citizens all the best. Thank you.”


Gentry told WHMI he will miss the department, the people, and the citizens, and helping them “terribly”. He said this is a retirement that was more or less forced on him by medical conditions and while he does need to retire, he will “miss the opportunity to help people on a daily basis, which has been a great privilege and honor.

Gentry said noted the department have grown remarkably during his time, and he’s been “privileged to see the excellent firefighters that we have working at the Department grow with the community, and serve the ever-increasing needs of the township”.

The hiring process for a new chief is currently underway. A Personnel Committee earlier reduced the number down to eight, with that reportedly being tough due to having some very high-quality candidates. A testing process will be taking place for the top candidates next week.

Gentry said it’s anticipated that the board will likely interview candidates at the July 1st board meeting, deliberate, and then possibly make a decision that night or at the next meeting.