VBT hero John Henderson dies Dec. 14 at age 52

John Thomas Henderson, Jr., age 52, a lifelong Belleville-area resident who earned a National Award of Valor for pulling a 2-year-old girl from a house fire, died of pneumonia at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital on Dec. 14.
A funeral service with military honors took place at David C. Brown Funeral Home on Monday. Then, he was cremated.
He was laid out in his favorite shirt, an Alice Cooper t-shirt from the last concert he attended with his cousin VBT Police Officer/Fire Fighter David Champagne, and a fire jacket.
He was a Van Buren Township fire fighter for 15 years and earned the 2015 Firehouse Magazine Michael O. McNamee Award of Valor.
Henderson and other honorees were honored for displaying great bravery in the face of dangerous conditions.
The story of Henderson’s bravery was described in the August 2016 issue of Firehouse Magazine:
“On Dec. 13, 2015, the Van Buren Fire Department was dispatched to a working house fire in a tri-level-style home. Lt. John Henderson arrived with his partner, Firefighter [Bronson] Campbell, and saw that the second floor of the home was well involved with fire. Henderson was alerted to the fact that a young child was still inside the home. He rushed to the front door and directed his attention to the area where police officers had first observed a child; however, he could only see smoke and fire conditions. With the fire only about 12–18 inches off of the floor, he donned his SCBA, only to realize he had left his helmet on the truck. Sensing he only had a matter of seconds to attempt a rescue, he entered the front door and began crawling on his stomach. Moments later, he felt the soft clothing of a small toddler. Under intense heat, Henderson dragged her with him back to the front door. He was met there by Firefighter Campbell, who began providing medical care to the unresponsive girl. The 2-year-old was treated at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital after suffering burns to more than 50% of her body. She has since been released.”
Henderson visited little Amariyana Wells, the fire victim, in the hospital regularly until she was released. Fourteen-year-old Savion Robinson died in the blaze at 47515 Denton Road.
The VBT Fire Department presented Henderson with its highest award, the Medal of Honor, and the Michigan State Firemen’s Association gave Henderson its 2016 Hero Award.
Henderson also was in the U.S. Army for 13 years, serving in a chemical unit during the Gulf War.
He was a teacher of safety procedures in closed space rescues and for the last two years cleaned paint tanks and oil tanks.