Belleville firefighters get a new leader from outside the department
In a departure from tradition, Belleville City Council members on Monday approved the appointment for a new fire chief who is not a member of the local fire department.
LLoyd J. Stinson III, 49, who had a 30-year career as a firefighter and fire chief in the U.S. Air Force, was named the new Belleville fire chief.
Mayor Patty Gregory said she asked the council’s approval for the appointment because she believes Stinson’s experience in the Air Force would help him lead the city’s fire department.
“One thing that really impressed me was all of his training and certifications,” Gregory said after the council’s meeting. “And being in the military all these years, I know he is a disciplined person and honest and has wonderful characteristics and traits that are going to be beneficial for the Belleville Fire Department.”
Gregory thanked Rick Wangelin, the assistant fire chief who has been serving as interim fire chief since J.P. Penet retired in July. Penet had been with the department for over two decades before he was named chief, just as his predecessor, Tom Pour.
The vote to consider Stinson was scheduled just minutes after Ward 4 Alderman Johnnie Anthony and Gregory had praised the police and fire departments for their efforts in rescuing Anthony’s daughter during a fire at her home early on Nov. 12.
Anthony said his daughter is recovering and has been released from the hospital. He said a police officer noticed the smoke coming from the home and called firefighters, who revived his daughter on the scene.
Anthony said he was amazed that the firefighters were being praised for their skills but the candidate being considered to be the next fire chief didn’t have municipal fire service experience.
When Anthony raised this issue during the meeting, City Clerk Jenny Gain Meyer suggested the council members go into a closed session to discuss Stinson’s candidacy.
After the closed session, the council voted unanimously to hire Stinson.
Anthony, who serves as chair of the council’s Police and Fire Committee and who was a firefighter in East St. Louis for 31 years, said after the meeting that he wasn’t allowed to reveal what was discussed during the closed session but that he and the other council members got a “good understanding” from city officials about why they wanted the council to approve Stinson.
Anthony said while he supports the principle of promoting from within, he praised Stinson for his accomplishments.
“He’s a good candidate,” Anthony said. “I’m very impressed with his resume.”
Stinson’s appointment went into effect Tuesday with an annual salary of $119,000. To see the salaries of other fire department employees and public employees across the metro-east, you can go to the Belleville News-Democrat’s public pay database at bnd.com.
Air Force career
Stinson served on Air Force bases around the world from May 1992 until June of this year.
He most recently was the fire chief of the Misawa Air Base in northern Japan from January 2019 to June when he retired as Chief Master Sergeant E-9. Before serving at Misawa, he was the fire chief at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia from June 2018 to December 2019.
Stinson’s education includes a master’s degree in fire and emergency management administration from Oklahoma State University.
Along with his posts in Japan and Georgia, Stinson’s assignments included positions at Joint Base San Antonio and Randolph Air Force Base in Texas, Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada and Kunsan Air Base in South Korea. He also had deployments to Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan, according to Air Force biography.
While he was never stationed at Scott Air Force Base, he has a good friend leading the fire department there and he recently moved to O’Fallon with his family. He heard about the Belleville fire chief’s job opening and thought it would be a good fit as he transitioned from the military.
“I love the sense of community … and rich history,” Stinson said of the metro-east. “Everybody that I’ve run into has been remarkably nice and kind.”
This story was originally published November 22, 2022 at 8:46 AM.
