Charles Bryson

The Department of Public Safety is the largest municipal government department in the City of St. Louis with over 1,500 employees, the Fire Department, six major divisions, two bureaus, a correctional institution and the city jail.

The mission of the Department of Public Safety is to safeguard the City’s state of well being, protect lives and property, and ensure the complete safety of the 348,189 people who live in the city, and the one million people who work, traverse and visit the City of St. Louis daily.

The Department is responsible for the superintendency of all buildings, the prevention of the use of unsafe buildings, fire prevention and suppression, emergency management planning, emergency medical services, zo ning of land usage, air quality control, discretionary issuance of permits for residential and commercial construction, discretionary issuance of permits for business occupancy, issuance of permits for sales and distribution of alcoholic beverages, management of correctional facilities and neighborhood safety and enrichment programs.

• Fire Department
• Bureau of Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
• Division of Corrections
• Building Division
• Neighborhood Stabilization Office
• Excise Division
• City Emergency Management Agency (CEMA)
• Office of Special Events

St. Louis Emergency Alert System

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St. Louis Fire Department

The St. Louis Fire Department is a part of the Department of Public Safety with 888 full-time employees, and includes the: Bureau of Prevention, Bureau of Fire Suppression & Rescue Emergency Services, Bureau of Emergency Medical Services (BEMS), Communications and General Offices, and Fire Protection for Lambert International Airport. The department is recognized as a progressive leader in providing the highest quality of emergency services. As a community-based department, it is committed to the preservation of life, health, property, and the environment by effectively and efficiently meeting the emerging public safety and welfare needs of our diverse community.

Bureau of Prevention

Deputy Fire Chief Charles E. Coyle, Fire Marshal
289-1960

The Bureau of Prevention has four major divisions; code enforcement, fire investigation, health & wellness, and public education. The code enforcement division is responsible for enforcing provisions of; the fire prevention ordinance, the commercial structure carbon monoxide detector ordinance, the residential structure carbon monoxide detector ordinance, the smoke detector ordinance, and the hazardous material ordinance. Enforcement of these provisions is supported through the many functions. Some of the functions include: fire protection system plan review; inspection of existing structures; review of applications for permit; and many others. These functions, as determined by the Fire Chief, are the minimal requirements to safeguard life, property, public welfare, and firefighter safety and health, from the hazards of fire and explosion.

Bureau of Fire Suppression, Rescue, & Emergency Services

Deputy Fire Chiefs Ralph Break, Steven Kotraba, Bill Erker, and Acting Deputy Fire Chief William Jones
533-3406

The Bureau of Fire Suppression & Rescue Emergency Services consists of 36 fire companies operating out of 30 engine houses. The frontline fire equipment is comprised of: 34 quint apparatus (30 with 75 ft aerial ladders, 2 with 125 ft ladders, 1 with a 105 ft aerial platform, and 1 with a 100 ft aerial platform), 2 heavy rescue squads, and 3 fire boats. This bureau also operates 4 foam trucks, the Haz-Mat Task Force, the Marine Unit Task Force, and the Collapse Rescue Task Force. There are 608 uniformed personnel in this bureau, staffing 3 Ð 24 hour shifts.

Bureau of Emergency Medical Services (BEMS)

Monroe L. Yancie, Chief Paramedic
2634 Hampton
314-645-9160

The Bureau of EMS is the section of the Fire Department that is responsible for providing pre-hospital emergency medical care and transport to patients within the city limits. There are 164 full-time employees, 13 medic units, and 12 support and administrative vehicles in the bureau. Of the 13 medic units, 11 are full time (24 hour) and the remaining two run 12 hours per day during peak operational periods. This bureau handles approximately 60,000 calls per year.

Communications and General Office

Deputy Fire Chief Bill Erker
533-3406

The Communications and General Office section consists of EMS Dispatchers, Fire Equipment Dispatchers, Information Systems, Electronic Instrument Technicians, Fiscal Services, and Payroll.

Bureau of Fire Suppression, Rescue, & Emergency Services - Lambert International

Battalion Fire Chief Raymond Henderson
426-8011

The Bureau of Fire Suppression & Emergency Services - Lambert International consists of 58 firefighters, manning 12 apparatus. The apparatus includes 2 command vehicles, 2 quints, and 8 crash rescue vehicles.

Emergency Medical Services-Billing

Melanie Johnson, Program Manager
645-9160

EMS Billing is responsible for the collection of revenue for all billable ambulance transports and/or non-transports due to a 911 response. EMS Billing directly bills all private insurance which includes Blue Cross, Medicare and Medicaid as well as private pay by invoice, claim form or electronically. EMS Billing has a total of 10 employees and has an average collection rate of 6 million dollars annually.

Medium Security Institution & City Justice Center
314/621-5848

The mission of the Division of Corrections is to serve and protect the citizens of St. Louis by providing for the care, custody and control of legally incarcerated residents in the least restrictive setting conducive to a safe, clean environment for st aff and visitors. The Division provides for the basic human needs of the residents/client population and creates and environment in which positive behavioral change may occur.

The Building Division is responsible for ensuring that residents and businesses comply with the Building Code and other national codes that regulate new construction and the maintenance of existing buildings. The Division issues trades and occupancy building permits, conducts inspections, demolishes vacant buildings and enforces zoning ordinances.

• Zoning Administration
• Plan Exam
• Building Inspections
• Trades Inspection
• Permit Section
• Environmental Court Section

Neighborhood Stabilization is an operation designed to enhance the safety, livability and economic vitality of city neighborhoods. The operation entails a corps of Neighborhood Stabilization Offic ers responsible for community networking to develop crime prevention programs, coordinating municipal services to address citizen and community concerns, and enhance communications among various special interest groups serving the community.

The Excise Division is charged by City Charter with the regulation and control of liquor within the City of St. Louis. The Division is responsible for determining licensing in accordance with the City Liquor code, authorizing issuance of all liquor and non-intoxicating beer licenses, enforcement of City Liquor Laws and Ordinances and initiation of civil action to suspend, cancel or revoke licenses when violations to statutes occur.
Additional Information on liquor licenses.

The City Emergency Management Agency directs the operation and maintenance of the emergency Operations Center and its communications equipment, oversees the operation and maintenance of an outdoor warning siren system and maintains the city's mobile em ergency communications van. CEMA is the lead agency representing the city for planning and developing response plans to events of disaster or other emergencies. The agency is also involved with emergency preparedness training for citizens.

The mission of the Office of Special Events is to coordinate City departments to better address the needs of special activities throughout the city. These may be both large-scale events as well as neighborhood-based activities. Their duties include the scheduling and permitting of the City Hall Rotunda and the Soldiers' Memorial, as well as representing the City on various local organizing committees.

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