City Spotlight: Kenna Pierce, Canton Fire Chief

By Inesha Jackson

The City of Canton’s Fire Chief, Kenna Pierce Sr., is gladly giving back to the Canton community through service and leadership. Pierce is the proud husband of 21 years to Charmaine Johnson Pierce and a proud father of two children, Kenna Pierce Jr., and Kinsley Grace Pierce. He is a member of the Mary Grove Missionary Baptist Church, where he serves as a deacon, a Sunday school teacher, usher board member, and a male choir member.

Before becoming a firefighter, he served in the United States Navy as a technician for four years. Pierce has moved up through the ranks from a basic firefighter to a firefighter/EMT to a firefighter driver/operator to second lieutenant to first lieutenant to acting captain to now serving as the fire chief. 

“I was in the Navy as a technician, and I always said to myself that when I got out, I would become a firefighter/EMT for the City of Canton. I wanted to come back out of the military and serve my community to give back in any way possible,” Pierce said. 

 In his 27 years of being a firefighter, Pierce’s major accomplishment is elevating throughout the ranks and becoming the fire chief of two years for his hometown. In the near future, he plans to keep the fire department moving in a positive direction. 

“As fire chief, my main responsibility is to lead other firefighters and to ensure the safety of all people. Every day, I’m motivated by the teamwork my coworkers and I have. On a day-to-day basis, I enjoy knowing that they are doing a great job,” Pierce said. 

“Helping people and seeing their reactions when problems are solved are rewarding in itself. Knowing that I have helped someone out of a bad situation and that I am able to give back to the community is the absolute best part of my job,” Pierce said.