St. Louis Park Fire Department Chief Steve Koering is the recipient of the 2023 Minnesota State Fire Chiefs Association (MSFCA) Fire Officer of the Year for a city with a population over 10,000. Chief Koering was recognized with the award at the MSFCA annual conference Oct. 18 – 21.

A summary of the multiple letters of recommendation received by the MSFCA awards committee stated, “Chief Koering represents what it means to be a servant leader. He selflessly and tirelessly gives of himself to better the St. Louis Park Fire Department, the citizens of St. Louis Park and the Fire Service in general. His passions are firefighter safety, public safety, community health, race equity and community risk reduction. He is a visionary and has the intelligence and determination to see those visions become reality.”

Award selection criteria emphasizes leadership, innovation, professional development, integrity, service to the public and contributions to the fire service as a whole. All of a nominee's fire service activities and accomplishments are considered, with special emphasis on the last three-year period. Two Fire Officer of the Year awards are presented each year, one for a city with a population over 10,000 and one for a city with a population under 10,000.

Also recognized by the MSFCA with the Community Partner award was Amy Lucht, CEO of Care Resource Connections and the program director for the St. Louis Park Fire Department’s Community Health Alliance.

MSFCA stated, “Community Health is another major priority in the City of St. Louis Park, and Chief Koering has personally invested countless hours developing a Community Health program. He is the co-founder of the St. Louis Park Community Health Alliance, alongside Amy Lucht. The program is designed to connect EMS patients challenged by chronic health conditions, mobility issues and/or socio-economic drivers with community-based resources that in the end improve the individual’s overall health and quality of life. The program has achieved a significant impact on emergency response reliability, reduced demand on 911 response, fewer repeat high utilization patients and improved responder morale.”

Photo (left to right): Firefighter Jake Duax, Lt. Dan Yaekel, Deputy Fire Chief John Wolff, Chief Steve Koering, Captain Matt Nordby and Firefighters Joe Lawrence and Tim Smith