Honoring Saint Paul Fire Chief Butch Inks

Ms. McCollum: Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the distinguished career of St. Paul Fire Department Chief Butch Inks on his retirement after than more than 40 years of steadfast service to the City of Saint Paul, including 31 years of dedication to public safety as a Firefighter and Chief of the Saint Paul Fire Department.

Chief Butch Inks grew up in Saint Paul’s North End, beginning his public service journey in 1985 when he was first hired by the City of Saint Paul through a youth employment program. In 1994, he joined the Saint Paul Fire Department, beginning what would become a decades-long commitment to protecting and serving his hometown. Alongside his municipal service, Chief Inks dedicated 26 years to the United States Air Force Reserve, deploying multiple times and retiring as a master sergeant in 2012. Chief Inks’ history in military and municipal service shaped him into the steady, principled leader the department and community have relied upon.

Since his appointment as Fire Chief in 2019, Chief Inks has overseen a period of progress and modernization for one of Minnesota’s busiest urban fire and emergency service agencies. I was proud to partner with Chief Inks to secure over $1.6 million in federal funding towards the complete rebuilding of Saint Paul Fire Station 7 on the East Side, replacing a nearly century-old facility in the city’s highest call-volume area. Chief Inks also placed into service Minnesota’s first all-electric fire engine, Engine 7, leading us towards a cleaner and healthier future for our fire department and for our community.

Chief Inks’s leadership—along with all the distinguished individuals of the Saint Paul Fire Department—has made a notable impact on the City of Saint Paul. He increased EMS and fire staffing to the highest levels in department history through an innovative scheduling model that simultaneously reduced overtime costs. He implemented both Basic Life Support and Advanced Life Support emergency medical response models, shortening response times. During the COVID-19 pandemic and the civil unrest that followed the murder of George Floyd, he coordinated 200 emergency responders, managing more than 50 incidents in a single 12-hour period and preventing millions of dollars in property damage. He expanded firefighter health protections through comprehensive cardiac screenings and enhanced physical exams. He also championed community-first public safety strategies, workforce inclusion, and operational models that prioritize equity, readiness, and compassionate service for all Saint Paul residents.

Although retiring from his role as Fire Chief, Butch Inks is not retiring from public service. He will continue to shape the future of Minnesota’s fire service as the next executive director of the Minnesota Fire Service Certification Board. In this role, he will help ensure that future firefighters meet the highest standards of training and professionalism by overseeing the examinations and certification processes that prepare them for licensure and service.

It has been my honor and a privilege to work with Chief Inks. His commitment to serve not only the citizens of Saint Paul, Minnesota but our entire nation has left an indelible mark. As he retires from service to the City of Saint Paul, I wish him well, along with his wife Erica and their four children.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in this well-deserved tribute to St. Paul Fire Chief Butch Inks on his retirement after more than three decades of steadfast dedication to public safety.