The City of Crestwood welcomed Ryan Harrell as its new chief of fire services on Jan. 2, 2026, following the retirement of Chief Leo Meyer in October 2025. The Board of Aldermen unanimously voted to confirm Harrell’s appointment at its Nov. 25 meeting.
Harrell brings more than 26 years of experience in public safety, demonstrating a strong commitment to advancing organizational effectiveness, developing personnel and strengthening public safety through strategic leadership and collaboration. Before joining the City of Crestwood, he served with the Clayton Fire Department.
“Crestwood has a strong foundation and a great team in place,” Harrell said. “I’m excited to build on that success and work to achieve great things for our community.”
While at Clayton, Harrell held several leadership roles, including battalion chief of logistics, recruitment officer and public information officer. In these positions, he successfully blended fire service traditions with modern technology, data-driven management and forward-thinking processes. His leadership consistently focused on improving efficiency, reducing costs and enhancing service delivery to the community.
Harrell’s operational experience includes commanding large-scale incidents, coordinating multiagency responses to regional disasters and managing public communications during critical events such as civil unrest and the COVID-19 pandemic.
He is currently completing a Master of Public Administration at Southeast Missouri State University. His academic focus on state and local governance complements his commitment to ethical, strategic and collaborative leadership. Harrell remains passionate about fostering professional growth, enhancing organizational resilience and building strong partnerships to serve communities with integrity and excellence.