St. Louis Park Names Steve Koering as New Fire Chief

Almost half a year after the retirement of longtime Fire Chief Luke Stemmer, St. Louis Park has picked his successor.

Steve Koering was appointed the city's new Fire Chief Monday evening and will start the job on Nov. 18.

Koering comes to St. Louis Park from Eden Prairie, where he served the fire department for 24 year, culminating in a stint as Assistant Fire Chief.

"I am looking forward to building on the tradition of success at the St. Louis Park Fire Department," Koering said in a statement. "The chance to lead this department as part of a city that delivers customer-focused solutions is extremely exciting."

Koering was selected by city manager Tom Harmening after a nation-wide search and with the help of fire department staff and an independent consultant.

"We are excited and fortunate to have Steve bring his many talents and abilities to our community," City Manager Tom Harmening said in a statement. "Steve's professional background and leadership will be invaluable to the success of the St. Louis Park Fire Department, and I look forward to working with him on vital public safety efforts." 

In Eden Prairie, Koering gained experience as am incident commander, operations section chief and liaison officer. He worked on a volunteer response team to provide support following tornadoes, floods and other natural disasters.

Koering's predecessor, Luke Stemmer, announced his plans to retire in March and left the department in late May. Stemmer, who first started his career with the SLP Fire Department in  August 1976, served as the department's chief for more than a decade.

Koering will lead a full-time staff of 24 firefighters and administrators plus an additional 24 paid, on-call firefighters.