FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 1, 2019
Contact:
Peter Leggett
peter.leggett@ci.stpaul.mn.us
651-307-8603
SAINT PAUL - Today, Mayor Carter announced the appointment of Butch Inks to serve as Fire Chief for the City of Saint Paul.
“For more than 20 years, Chief Inks has brought the values we hold dear in Saint Paul to his service in our community,” said Mayor Carter. “Through his leadership, our Fire Department is poised to continue providing compassionate care and critical, life-saving services for all of us.”
"It is an honor to be appointed Fire Chief of the City of Saint Paul,” said Chief Inks. “I look forward to continuing our important work of ensuring the safety and well-being of our community alongside the incredible members of our Fire Department.”
Chief Inks grew up in the Rice Street and Como area. He attended Como Elementary, Washington Junior High School, and graduated from Como Park High School. He has served as an employee of the City of St. Paul since 1985, starting his career in the Parks and Recreation Department. He began his career with the Fire Department in 1994 as a Firefighter.
Since then, he has held a variety of positions within the department, including Fire Equipment Operator, Rescue Squad Captain, District Chief, Special Operations Chief, Community Relations Chief, Deputy Chief, and Assistant Chief. Since January 2018, he has served as Interim Fire Chief. In these roles, he has been responsible for the management of the budget and daily operations of all fire personnel, stations, and apparatus. He also assisted in the development of the department's Equity Work-Plan.
Chief Inks is a retired Air Force Veteran. He served 26 honorable years, before retiring in 2012 from the United States Air Force fire department as a Deputy Fire Chief. His military experience includes numerous deployments to various parts of the world where he assisted in developing training programs still being used today.
Chief Inks holds a Business Management degree from the University of Northwestern - Saint Paul, where he graduated with Honors Magna Cum Laude. In addition to his work, Inks has volunteered as a youth coach in hockey, baseball, and girls’ fastpitch softball and supports the Sheridan Story-Fighting Child Hunger.
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