CHAMPAIGN—The City of Champaign announced the appointment of a fire chief.
Tyler Funk has been serving as the city’s interim fire chief since July. Prior to that, Funk served the Champaign Fire Department for 26 years, rising to the rank of Deputy Fire Chief before retiring in 2023.
“Chief Funk is an exemplary public servant who will be central to our Fire Department’s future growth. A strong and seasoned leader, Chief Funk is not only well-respected throughout the State, but he is also the right chief at the right time to lead the current and next generation of our fire department,” City Manager Joan Walls said in a statement.
“Chief Funk is dedicated to this city, forward-thinking, community-focused, and results-oriented. I am so excited to bring Chief Funk back to the city in this crucial role.”
Funk served as Acting Fire Chief during the city’s COVID emergency response in 2020-2021, Fire Marshal from 2019-2023, and taught Incident Command System training at the department for many years. He was also a member of the State of Illinois’ MABAS deployable Hazmat team. Before joining the Champaign Fire Department, Funk served as a Department of Defense firefighter with the U.S. Army at Fort Bragg, N.C. from 1992-1996.