Kent’s newest firefighter has dedicated his life to serving his country and his hometown

Jordan Bedell, 28, of Kent, is a U.S. Marine, the founder of a community nonprofit and the first full-time Black firefighter in the history of the Kent Fire Department. Carter Eugene Adams/The Portager

Kent’s newest firefighter has dedicated his life to serving his country and his hometown

- Carter Eugene Adams

On one of the first cold mornings of fall, Jordan Bedell performed morning chores and started his shift at Station 1 in the Kent Fire Department. Bedell, in full Class B uniform — a blue “KFD” shirt, black belt, utility pants and black leather boots — finished his tasks and stepped into the open truck bay. He posed for a portrait.

This was not Bedell’s first time in front of a news camera. In January, WKYC interviewed him for his work creating a youth-focused nonprofit in Kent, his hometown.

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