St. Paul fire chief retiring shortly after starting second term

St Paul Fire Chief Butch Inks who Mayor Melvin Carter appointed to a second six-year term last summer is instead retiring at the end of this year he communicated the fire department Friday Inks worked for the city for years of which were as a St Paul firefighter He revealed his decision to leave is not about politics with a new mayor being elected but about being able to continue doing the physical work of a firefighter after shoulder-replacement surgery this month He originally injured his shoulder while working at a major fire when he was a captain Though Inks is no longer putting out fires he mentioned he believes St Paul s fire chief should be able to carry out all the duties of a firefighter I ask them to put their life on the line and to do extraordinary things he announced in an interview this week As a leader I don t think I should be expecting them to do something I can t do Pride in hometown fire department never faded Inks climbed through the fire department s ranks to assistant chief and served as interim chief for nearly two years before Carter formally selected him as fire chief in following a national search Carter reported in July that he d appointed Inks to a second term which began this month Inks commented he was hopeful at that point he d be able to continue in his role as fire chief but as his surgery date drew closer he stated he knew his plans would be dependent on the outcome Inks is a licensed firefighter which requires ongoing training and he reported he determined his shoulder could not withstand continued training without the hazard of further injury He in the past few days informed Carter and State Rep Kaohly Her who ousted Carter in the November referendum that he would retire effective Dec Her s leadership band will be determining next actions and they ve been in contact with the Carter administration also according to Matt Wagenius Her s spokesperson Mayor-elect Her stopped by Inks home last Saturday as he was recovering from surgery and dropped off dinner for him and his family She is one of the kindest people I ve ever met he added and he reported he wishes he could work for her Telling the fire department as a whole that he s retiring proved more arduous than Inks expected On Friday he was ready to send the message he d been drafting I will never forget the day I received my badge Inks wrote in a department-wide email The pride I felt was overwhelming because I wasn t just becoming a firefighter I was becoming a St Paul Firefighter Thirty-one years later that same sense of pride institution and overwhelming gratitude for being part of the best fire department in the nation has never faded Inks grew up in St Paul s North End He was first hired by the city in through a youth employment venture and later joined the St Paul Fire Department in He served for years in the Air Force Reserves was deployed various times and retired as a master sergeant in Next job Head of fire system certification board Inks is and married with four children He isn t retiring from working he will be the next executive director of the Minnesota Fire Utility Certification Board Related Articles Washington County dad pleads guilty to child endangerment after UTV crash St Paul City Council calls for review of officers use of force during ICE operation Wisconsin seeks to block conditional release of woman involved in Slender Man stabbing after escape from group home Plymouth man sentenced to prison for Anoka drunk driving fatality ICE identifies Honduran immigrant arrested in St Paul another man charged with assault on officer People seeking to become a firefighter need to be certified in multiple areas of firefighting The certification board which is not a state agency conducts examinations and assessments of individuals If they pass the board issues certification The Minnesota Board of Firefighter Training and Schooling is where people go from there to seek licensure as a firefighter Past St Paul fire chiefs have served long terms and there have also been instances of sudden turnover Inks became interim chief when Tim Butler stepped down as chief during his second term after he d been in the role for years Kyle Thornberg president of St Paul International Association of Fire Fighters Local commented Inks work with the union strengthened the department and set a model for others to follow Chief Inks years of utility reflect a deep commitment to St Paul and to the firefighters who protect it Thornberg stated Friday What his time as fire chief entailed St Paul Fire Chief Butch Inks cuts the ribbon for new St Paul Fire Station No on Ross Avenue in St Paul on April joined by from left Assistant Fire Chiefs Anthony Farina and Jeramiah Melquist City Council member Cheniqua Johnson U S Sen Amy Klobuchar Mayor Melvin Carter and Assistant Fire Chief Steven Sampson John Autey Pioneer Press When Carter publicized Inks reappointment last summer the mayor stated his notable accomplishments included Increasing EMS and fire staffing to the highest levels in department history through an innovative schedule that also reduced overtime costs Implementing Basic Life Endorsement and Advanced Life Backing emergency healthcare response models which improved response times and created more than new local jobs Coordinating crisis responders during the COVID- pandemic and periods of civil unrest by managing over incidents during a -hour period in the days after George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis and preventing millions in property damage Related Articles A look at St Paul s legal tangles with the Trump administration St Paul City Council calls for inquiry of officers use of force during ICE operation ICE identifies Honduran immigrant arrested in St Paul another man charged with assault on officer Woodbury cop and son survive DUI crash urge holiday partiers to find another way home Shoreview bus driver awarded for rescue of -year-old in Lake Owasso Securing funding and approval for a new fire station in the city s highest call volume area The new station in Dayton s Bluff replaced a station that dated to Introducing comprehensive cardiac screenings and enhanced physical exams for firefighters to backing their soundness and safety In his retirement announcement to the department Inks wrote Do not be afraid to challenge the norm or push back against tradition while holding tight to what truly works Remember what you ve learned Don t take no for an answer when the mission demands better Foster relationships build friendships and never forget the feeling you had on the day you became a St Paul Firefighter