Fire Captain Keith Blackwell

Captain Keith Blackwell serves as the Assistant Fire Marshal for the St. Louis Fire Department (SLFD) Bureau of Fire Prevention, bringing a quarter-century of frontline firefighting, emergency medical, and regulatory expertise to the city's premier safety enforcement division. Over his 25-year career with the St. Louis Fire Department, Captain Blackwell has operated across the full spectrum of emergency response and risk management. Beginning his service as a firefighter and Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) at Engine Co. 32 he developed a profound understanding of emergency scenes, structural dynamics, and crisis mitigation. Transitioning into the Bureau of Fire Prevention, he expanded his skillset to become a highly qualified Fire Inspector and Certified Fire Investigator, specializing in complex origin-and-cause investigations and hazardous materials compliance. 

In his current role as Assistant Fire Marshal, Captain Blackwell oversees critical code enforcement, incident investigations, and special events within the City of St. Louis. His professional doctrine is anchored by four core pillars: 

• Life Safety: Ensuring aggressive compliance with fire codes to protect both the citizens of St. Louis and responding emergency personnel. 
• Property Conservation: Guarding the city’s commercial and historic industrial infrastructure through rigorous preventative inspections in coordination with the City of St. Louis Building Division. 
• Community Risk Reduction (CRR): Utilizing data-driven strategies and public education to neutralize fire and life-safety hazards before an emergency occurs. 
• Environmental Stewardship: Mitigating the impact of industrial accidents and hazardous materials releases to safeguard the local ecosystem, municipal waterways, and neighborhoods. 

A lifelong advocate for continuous professional development, he is a student of the National Fire Academy and the Dr. Carl Holmes Executive Development Institute. Captain Blackwell bridges the gap between aggressive emergency response and proactive municipal safety, ensuring St. Louis remains a safer place to live, work, and invest.