Rock Fire assistant chief retires

Chuck Hill alternated between laughter and tears as he said goodbye to the Rock Community Fire Protection District.

The assistant chief’s flag ceremony was held Feb. 5 at House 5 in Arnold, capping his 39-year Rock Fire career.

“Rock taught me everything I know about firefighting,” said Hill, 61, of Imperial. “I have been doing this for 39 years. I think it is time for me to move on and let other people get involved. I think I have served my purpose here.”

Approximately 100 people attended the ceremony, including Hill’s wife, Lisa; one of his sons, Ryan; his daughter, Erica; and four of his five grandchildren. Hill’s other son, Charlie, who is battling leukemia, watched a livestream of the ceremony, and his oldest grandchild was in school.

During the ceremony, Hill went through lines of firefighters a final time for inspection, received an American flag and gold ax, and a retirement call was made over the radio.

“Chief Hill has provided decades of dedicated public safety service, steady leadership and a strong commitment to operational readiness, personnel development and community safety,” Chief Kevin Wingbermuehle said. “Chief Hill will be greatly missed for his leadership, experience and lasting impact on both personnel and the community.”

Hill was paid a salary of $129,396.80.

The district prepared for Hill’s departure in October when Matthew Ham and Mike Shafferkoetter were promoted from division chiefs to assistant chiefs.

Ham is the district’s assistant chief of administration, and his salary increased to $129,396.80 as an assistant chief from $118,913.60 as a division chief.

Shafferkoetter is the district’s assistant chief of operations, and his salary increased to $129,396.80 as an assistant chief from $118,913.60 as a division chief.

“Those guys are two of the best people I have ever been associated with,” Hill said of Ham and Shafferkoetter. “They are already doing a great job. This district is going to go places, and even farther than I could take it.”

Hill’s career

Hill started his career in 1985 as a paramedic at the Community Fire Protection District in Overland.

He joined Rock Fire on July 1, 1987, and he was a company officer from 1995 through 2019.

Hill was promoted to battalion chief in 2019, and he was named interim assistant chief in September 2022 after Wingbermuehle was named chief following a stint as assistant chief following Chief Jeff Broombaugh’s retirement from Rock Fire in July.

Broombaugh is now the chief of the Festus Fire Department.

The Rock Fire Board of Directors voted to shed the interim tag from Hill’s title, shortly after September 2022.

“He has been instrumental in developing and maintaining leadership continuity, supporting daily operations, mentoring personnel and guiding the district through important administrative and operational decisions,” Wingbermuehle said of Hill. “He strengthened operational coordination, supported staffing and training initiatives, contributed to policy development and helped position the district for long-term success. His efforts allowed me to place more focus on developing the district for the future.”

When Hill was named the interim assistant chief, he said he didn’t aspire to advance beyond captain. He said Broombaugh encouraged him to continue to seek leadership positions at Rock Fire, leading him to the battalion chief and then the assistant chief positions.

“I am a firefighter at heart,” Hill said. “I am not really an administrator. I would rather be on the truck with firefighters. You have to make adjustments as you get a little older. That is how I ended up in this job (as assistant chief).”

Hill said being able to help people as a firefighter on calls or Rock Fire employees grow in their roles was the best part of the job.

“That is what I really like doing,” he said. “I was involved in a lot of PR stuff. I enjoyed doing the public education, anything that could teach people and help people. I loved running calls. I like running EMS (emergency medical service calls) as much as I like fighting fires because that is when we make our biggest impact. The day-to-day calls we get for emergency medical services are when we have one-on-one contact with individuals, and that is when they can really see what this department is all about. I really enjoyed that aspect of the job, helping people.”

On duty

Hill said he spent 19 years of his career at House 2, 1299 Main St., in Imperial. He said that house handled numerous calls on I-55.

“That is probably, day to day, the most dangerous thing that we do,” he said. “We are on the interstate all the time with calls for EMS, vehicle accidents or car fires. There is just an inherent danger in that.

“To me, being diligent about being safe, making sure firefighters are in a good position; we are protecting the scene and protecting people in the cars, that is a hard job to do. I am pretty proud that I got through that pretty much unscathed.”

Hill said three of his most memorable calls involved a concrete company, a woman trapped in an apartment and rescuing a family from a home filled with carbon monoxide.

He said two employees at Arnold Ready Mix were trapped in a sand pit in 1991 after the sand shifted while they were cleaning it.

“We ended up calling in serious mutual aid,” Hill said. “I think it was the first time St. Louis city came to Rock Community to help us out with a call. I don’t think they (the employees) even went to the hospital. They were trapped in there for seven or eight hours. That was one of the more interesting calls I was on for sure.”

When he was a battalion chief, Hill said there was a call to a home on Jeffco Boulevard. He said the top floor of the home had been converted into an apartment, and the exterior stairwell leading to the apartment was on fire, trapping a woman inside.

“We were able to put a ladder up, and we helped her climb down,” he said. “That was probably one of the most satisfying rescues that I was a part of.”

Hill said he was one of two people stationed at House 3, 3540 Lonedell Road, just west of Arnold city limits when there was a call for a carbon monoxide leak at a home. He said the father, who called for help, was able to crawl onto the porch, but three people were still inside the home.

“I masked up and went,” he said. “It was one of the weirdest things to go in and there is no smoke, but nobody would wake up. I picked up the kids and the mother, and we got them outside. The family ended up being OK after they got to St. Luke’s and were put into hyperbaric chambers. That was another big call for me.”

Changes

Hill said nearly everything has grown since he started at Rock Fire.

When he started working, the district had seven firefighters on a shift at a time spread over three houses, he said. Rock Fire now has 21 firefighters on a shift spread over five houses, he added.

Hill also said the call volume has probably tripled over the last 39 years. Rock Fire officials reported the district responded to 5,941 calls in 2025, averaging 495 calls per month.

“It is totally different from when I was first hired,” he said. “The level of service we provide is remarkable compared to where we were when I was first hired. We have highly trained firefighters who can respond to almost any type of emergency.”

Hill said one accomplishment at Rock Fire that he is proud of occurred in the last four years while he served as assistant chief.

He said the district started emphasizing a search culture when responding to fires. He said Rock Fire had focused on putting out a fire first and then searching for people.

Hill said the district now searches and battles blazes at the same time.

“It was just the way everyone operated because of safety, but we also realize it is our job to go save people,” he said of firefighters putting out fires first then searching for anyone inside the structure. “It should be our No. 1 priority to put search first along with a coordinated fire attack. That can be done safely, and we have implemented that in the last few years. You will hear it regularly on our calls that there is a primary search designated.”

Retirement

Hill said he has plenty of things to keep him busy.

He said he has a strong social network of friends, and a board game hobby that borders on an obsession.

“My wife likes to play board games with me,” he said. “That helps a lot.”

Hill also said he looks forward to spending more time with his children and grandchildren. He said his daughter will give birth to his sixth grandchild this year.

He also will stay in contact with the firefighters at Rock Fire.

“These are special people, and I get a kick out of them,” Hill said of the firefighters. “We are all lucky to be firefighters, but I am lucky, I got to step back and watch them grow and develop to help people every day at an incredible level. I hope the community realizes how much we love them and want to be there for them. It is a pleasure to be involved with this group of firefighters at Rock Community.”

Rock Fire assistant chiefs settle into new roles

The Rock Community Fire Protection District prepared for the retirement of Assistant Chief Chuck Hill in the final three months of last year.

In September, Matthew Ham and Mike Shafferkoetter were promoted from division chiefs to assistant chiefs.

“It has been a natural transition for them,” Chief Kevin Wingbermuehle said. “Both have performed professionally and effectively, demonstrating strong leadership, communication and commitment to the district’s mission.”

Hill retired on Feb. 5 after working at Rock Fire for the last 39 years. He had been the assistant chief since 2022, and his salary was $129,396.80.

Ham is the district’s assistant chief of administration, and his salary increased to $129,396.80 as an assistant chief from $118,913.60 as a division chief.

Shafferkoetter is the district’s assistant chief of operations, and his salary increased to $129,396.80 as an assistant chief from $118,913.60 as a division chief.

Wingbermuehle said Ham oversees administrative services, including the public education and fire prevention divisions. budgeting support, personnel processes, policy development, and compliance.

Wingbermuehle said Shafferkoetter oversees emergency response operations, staffing, the training and EMS divisions, apparatus and equipment readiness and operational policy implementation.

Hill said Rock Fire selected two great firefighters to help lead the district.

“Shafferkoetter is one of the best firefighters I have known in my whole career,” Hill said. “Ham is one of the smartest firefighters I have ever known.”

Ham, 43, of O’Fallon joined Rock Fire in 2006. He started his career as a volunteer firefighter in 2001 in Dupo, Ill., which also is when he joined the Missouri Air National Guard and went through the Air Force Firefighters Academy.

Ham was promoted to captain at Rock Fire in 2018 and then division chief in 2022. Board of Director members voted Sept. 25 to name Ham and Shafferkoetter assistant chiefs, and Wingbermuehle said the two officially started as assistant chiefs in October.

“I’m looking to move the district forward and to streamline some things,” Ham said. “With public education, I will look at the data from our calls and areas to make sure we are targeting the correct public education programs. With the fleet, I want to make sure we have the latest technology and have a good vehicle replacement plan. We are getting ready to have a training and community center, and I want to make sure our facilities are meeting the needs of the community.”

Ham said Rock Fire was sad to see Hill retire.

“We are losing a big piece,” he said. “I’m happy for the time I had with him and the guidance he provided me for this role.”

Shafferkoetter, 53, of Imperial started his career in 1994 as a volunteer with Union Fire Department, and he was hired as a firefighter in 2005 by the Berkeley Fire Department.

Shafferkoetter joined Rock Fire in 2006, and he was promoted to captain in 2019. He was promoted to division chief of training in 2022 before assuming his current role in September.

“Chief (Wingbermuehle) refers to me as the chief on the streets,” he said. “Anything that comes off the firetrucks, I am pretty much in charge of. I have always been an operations-type guy. I don’t like being in the office all of the time. Having the operations position is definitely a fit for my personality and expertise.”

Shafferkoetter said he worked on the same truck with Hill for seven years, and Hill was his captain and battalion chief. He said the district will miss Hill’s knowledge, leadership and level-headedness.

“You always say when one person leaves, you will hire someone else to fill that position, but I don’t think the hole that he will leave here with his experience and knowledge will ever be filled,” Shafferkoetter said of Hill.

Wingbermuehle said the decision to name two assistant chiefs was the result of restructuring positions and responsibilities. He said Rock Fire now has two division chiefs instead of three.

“The structure improves division of responsibilities and span of control, leadership availability, operational oversight, accountability and continuity of command to better support the district as it continues to grow,” he said.