Charleston Fire Chief retiring, replacement named

CHARLESTON, Ill. (WCIA) — The Charleston Fire Department has announced that their longtime chief is retiring .

Chief Steve Bennett has served in the CFD for 25 years, but now he’s stepping away from the job. His last day will be Friday.

As for Bennett’s successor, the city is promoting from within the department. City administrators appointed Tim Meister, Bennett’s Assistant Fire Chief, as the new Chief.

Meister has 30 years of firefighting experience, starting in 1994 with the Edge-Scott Fire Protection District in Urbana. He joined the Charleston Fire Department in 2000 as a firefighter and paramedic. He was promoted to Captain six years later and Assistant Fire Chief a decade later.

After eight years as an Assistant Chief, Meister will assume command of a department that operates with 33 firefighters and paramedics and on a budget of over $7 million.

In addition to serving in the CFD, Meister serves on the Eastern Illinois University Violence Prevention Committee and in the leadership roles of several organizations affiliated with first responders. He is certified by the Office of the State Fire Marshal as a fire investigator, incident safety officer and HAZMAT technician.

Meister’s first day as Fire Chief will be Aug. 3.

In addition to Meister’s promotion, the City of Charleston promoted Captain Ryan Berkheimer, a CFD veteran serving since 2006, to Assistant Fire Chief.

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