Charles Coyle

Interim Director of the St. Louis Department of Public Safety Charles Edward Coyle, Sr. comes to the position as a 45-year veteran of the St. Louis Fire Department (STLFD). 

Formerly Deputy Fire Chief and Fire Marshal, Director Coyle rose the ranks in his firefighting career from Fire Captain in 1990 to Battalion Chief just seven years later. During the year 2000 he was promoted to both Deputy Fire Chief, where he commanded tactical operations and administrative duties for the entire department including Lambert Airport, and to Fire Marshal, where he managed the Bureau of Fire Prevention responsible for Fire Code enforcement, Hazardous Material Ordinances and the permitting and licensing of pyrotechnicians.

Chief Coyle’s STLFD tenure includes the development of several new initiatives such as a program providing a support system for Black firefighters to address the potential mental health effects of experiencing emergency trauma as a first responder. In his first five years as Deputy Chief, Chief Coyle developed community education programs resulting in a 38% reduction in the number of fires, and 65% reduction in civilian fire deaths. 

Director Coyle joined STLFD in 1978 while still a student at the University of Missouri St. Louis. He is a prior member of the Black Chiefs Association and a current member of the St. Louis Black Chiefs Association, the International Association of Fire Chiefs, and a founding committee member of the St. Louis Fire Department Life Saving Foundation. Chief Coyle is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. and a graduate of the FOCUS St. Louis Leadership program.