It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our Brighton Volunteer Ambulance (BVA) Board of Directors President, Dennis Mietz.

Dennis joined BVA in 1988 and dedicated 38 years of service to our community and to the BVA family. He was the longest‑serving member of BVA, spending most of those years volunteering countless hours on the BVA Board of Directors. If there was a task that needed to be done, Dennis was the first to step forward without hesitation.

Throughout his career in EMS, Dennis served as an EMT and Critical Care EMT logging 30,000 hours on BVA ambulances. During that time, he delivered eight babies, saved 120 lives, and touched countless more. He was known not only for his business acumen and leadership, but for the wisdom he shared with others — reminding us often to be available for people and truly listen to them. Even as his health declined, Dennis continued to give everything he had to serve BVA. He cared deeply for BVA, our employees and the Brighton community in which he lived.

Dennis was a man of many talents and interests. He was not only a successful entrepreneur but had also been a commercial airline pilot and played Division 1 hockey. More importantly, Dennis was a leader, a mentor, a friend, and a cherished member of the BVA family. His impact on BVA and on everyone who knew him cannot be measured. BVA is the agency it is today in large part because of Dennis, and he will be dearly missed.