Mayor Horrigan Names Joseph Natko as Next Akron Fire Chief

City of Akron Press Release
From the desk of City of Akron Press Office
Published: 11-22-2022

Akron, Ohio, Nov. 22, 2022 — Today, Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan announced that Akron’s next Fire Chief is Joseph Natko. Chief Natko has served with Akron Fire for over 30 years. He will take on the position effective immediately with a formal swearing in ceremony to be held in the coming weeks.

“Today is an important day for the Akron community as Chief Natko becomes the 20th Chief of the Akron Fire Department,” said Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan. “We accepted applications from all over the country and found the best candidate for the position was right here in Akron proudly serving our community. I firmly believe our Akron Fire Department is one of the best across the state and to maintain that unparalleled level of service to the community requires an experienced and dedicated leader. I am confident that Chief Natko is the right person to lead this department and he will bring his integrity, heart for service, and commitment to the City of Akron to all he does in this well-deserved promotion.”

“I’m extremely humbled to have been selected to serve as the next Chief of the Akron Fire Department,” said Chief Natko. “Our firefighters and paramedics are truly an outstanding workforce, and it will be my honor to serve with them as we move Akron Fire forward in its commitment to the community.”

Chief Natko first began his career with the Akron Fire Department (AFD) in March of 1991 as a firefighter/medic. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1997, Captain in 2005, Provisional District Chief in 2011, District Chief in 2015, and most recently served as a Deputy Chief. He holds an Associate’s Degree of Technical Studies from Stark State and earned his Ohio Fire Executive certification in 2014.

During his career, Chief Natko has initiated and managed several programs at AFD including: Electronic Patient Care Reporting Program (EPCR), Opiate Quick Response Team (QRT), Alternate Response Vehicle (non-emergent ambulance), PulsePoint (civilian CPR alerts), REACH (community paramedicine), ET3 (Telehealth), and Health Data Exchange (HDE). He’s also a proud graduate of Leadership Akron Class 35.

For further information, contact:
Stephanie Marsh
Chief Communications Officer
Phone: 330-375-2754
E-mail: [email protected]