Remembering Len Saltmarsh

I was sad to hear that Former Hamilton Fire Chief Len Saltmarsh had passed away at his home in Dundas, just shy of his 95th birthday. When I first came to Hamilton as a CHCH reporter Len was the Chief—a position he held for 17 of his 43 years with the Hamilton Fire Department. He was great from a media standpoint because he was always available to reporters providing down-to-earth quotes. Len was no desk jockey. When there was a fire of any significance underway you would invariably find Len at the scene in full gear with his battered white helmet overseeing operations. His obituary describes a man who fought to ensure his firefighters had the best equipment and training and also worked to get legislation for mandatory smoke detectors and sprinklers. Len was active with the Hamilton Downtown Rotary Club. He loved to share stories of his volunteer work in the Keith Neighbourhood, in particular at Robert Land School A lifelong voracious reader, he knew the importance of literacy, helping to establish The Telling Tales Festival in 2009. Len Saltmarsh lived a long and productive life. Our sincere condolences go out to his family and many friends.