May 11, 2016, Canton, MI – Last night, Canton’s new Public Safety Director Joshua C. Meier was sworn-in by Township Clerk Terry Bennett, at the Township’s regular Board meeting. Josh was selected for this top position following a competitive internal process.
Director Meier is a true Canton success story—volunteering as a Canton Police Explorer during his high school years, he later hired on to the department as a Public Safety Service Officer. Josh worked his way up through the Fire Department as a Firefighter/Paramedic, Deputy Chief, and Fire Chief.
Josh is Canton’s first Public Safety Director to arrive at the position with a fire service background, and it is an impressive one. In addition to spending the majority of his 19-year career firefighting and providing emergency medical service, Josh was a long-standing board member on the department’s local fire union. As Chief, he has continued to develop himself running all aspects of the Fire Department while simultaneously serving as Chief Administrator of the Western-Wayne Urban Search and Rescue Team, Vice President of Southeast Michigan’s Association of Fire Chiefs, and instructing at EMU’s Fire Staff & Command School.
As Director, Josh will be responsible for planning, administering, budgeting and continually developing the 200-person Public Safety Department, consisting of the Police, Fire and Emergency Management Divisions.
Josh has lived in Canton his entire life. He and his wife Lisa are now raising their two sons, Jacob and Joey, in the community he so proudly serves.
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