Denny M. Powell II
- Published: May 8, 2025
Miami Township Fire-Rescue Chief Denny M. Powell II passed away at Greene Memorial Hospital on April 15, 2025, after suffering a cardiac arrest due to a brief illness.
He was born on August 29, 1969, in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he was raised. While in high school, he developed a passion for photography, particularly in black and white, which led to him receiving several local and statewide awards. Eager to explore this art form further, he applied to and was accepted at Antioch College in 1988, where he studied photography under Dennie Eagleson and later psychology.
Denny came out to his parents when he was 11 and was a fiercely proud, at times militant, gay man. While at Antioch, friends used to joke that his first words were “silence = death.” He became actively involved with the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) as a first-year student, proudly fighting for the rights of those living with and dying from AIDS. His desire to help others soon led him to discover one of his true passions: firefighting. Denny joined the Antioch College Fire Department (Maples) as a volunteer in the winter of 1989. During this time, he met his partner for the next 30 years, Colin Altman.
Joining Maples had a profound effect on him, and he quickly progressed through the various certification courses available, eventually becoming a Level 2 firefighter, a paramedic and a fire safety inspector. Denny was passionate about the fire service, voraciously reading everything he could find, from fiction to textbooks.
After college, he volunteered with Miami Township as a firefighter/paramedic and chief fire inspector. He then took a position as an emergency room paramedic at Greene Memorial Hospital, where he honed his medical skills and built deep friendships with many coworkers. His passion for education drove him to become an Ohio-certified fire and EMS instructor, as well as an emergency cardiac care instructor with the American Heart Association.
After eight years in the ER, he became the EMS coordinator for Greene Memorial. In that position, he worked locally, regionally and statewide to support and advance the interests of EMS. He taught frequent firefighter and EMT courses, certifying hundreds who are working in the field today. He was a passionate instructor who often devised inventive new training methods, including the “eliminator” and his infamous fittings and couplings training. During this time, he worked part time as the Public safety training coordinator at the Greene County Career Center, helping to launch several new advanced certification courses, including incident safety officer and strategies and tactics for structural firefighting. He was invited to write certification exam questions for the Ohio Division of EMS and the National Registry of EMTs.
In 2004, his passion for the fire service drove him to accept the full-time position of Assistant Chief with Miami Township. In this role, he was responsible for MTFR’s emergency medical and safety operations. He also oversaw special projects; in this capacity, he developed the purchasing specifications for all of the department’s current emergency apparatus, implemented electronic cloud-based incident reporting and assisted with transitioning from a volunteer to a combination paid department. One of his proudest achievements was serving as MTFR’s project liaison on the design, bidding and construction of Fire Station 81. During this time, he became actively involved with the American Heart Association’s Ohio Advocacy Committee and served as chair for several years. Denny was appointed interim fire chief in August 2023 and fire chief eight months later.
Denny was a complex individual with a complicated family history. He had multiple families throughout his life, from his Greene Memorial “wives” to his Spin gang. He especially loved his fire department family and was very proud of them. Denny was a dedicated public servant and teacher, a fanatical supporter of all things Apple, and he had a deep love for Italian greyhounds, of which he had four. He became a certified Spin instructor while a member of the Antioch Wellness Center, and was one of their leading instructors alongside his Spin mentor, Katie Slanker. Denny loved to devise new rides and ways to “torture” his students. He was also, at times, an avid runner, completing several half and full marathons and a duathlon. He enjoyed movies, British humor, a good martini, coffee (especially from Dino’s), a Bad Juan, dinner at Coco’s Bistro, and talking with and getting to know people, as much as he’d deny it.
Denny was preceded in death by his parents and his dear friend of 25 years, Ed Lower. He is survived by his dogs Revie, Chris and EZ; his dog mom and friend, Susan; his great friend and partner in crime, Wayne Witherell; and his fire service family. A celebration of life and service will be announced later. Memorial contributions in his honor may be made to the American Heart Association at heart.org/en/get-involved/ways-to-give.
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