NY FIRE COORDINATOR KILLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY-STRUCK BY BACKING VEHICLE
July 21, 2016
The top fire official in Tioga County was killed Wednesday when a county pickup truck struck him while backing up, officials said.
Tioga County Fire Coordinator John Scott, 71, of Campville, was one of several employees who were performing maintenance at a county radio tower on Carmichael Road in the Town of Owego when he was struck around 3 p.m., according to the Tioga County Sheriff’s Office.
The investigation into the accident by the sheriff’s office is continuing and authorities on Thursday did not release additional details surrounding the incident.
Scott has been county fire coordinator since 1999. He was also a 45-year member of the Campville Fire Department and served in several leadership roles over the years, including fire chief.
Scott was a Town of Owego Fire District commissioner before he became county fire coordinator. At the state level, he served on the Board of the New York State Chiefs Association and was a member of the planning committee for the annual New York State Fire Chiefs Convention.
Scott had the perfect temperament to serve as fire coordinator, said Tioga County Legislature Chair Martha Sauerbrey.
“John was extremely pleasant and was a great guy to have in the middle of a conflict. He kept people calm,” Sauerbrey said. “When you are a fire coordinator, you are dealing with people who are passionate about what they do. John had a great ability of calming everyone down and clearing the waters. He was a great mentor to fire chiefs and people coming up in the business of firefighting. He will be really missed. It’s a big loss.”
Colman and Daniels Funeral Home is handling arrangements for Tioga County Fire Coordinator John Scott, who died Wednesday in a work-related accident. (Photo: PROVIDED PHOTO) Scott was a native of Schenectady who worked for General Electric in Utica before moving to Endicott. He was a manager at IBM and at Lockheed Martin in Owego and retired after 40 years. He was past president of the Owego Kiwanis Club.
Scott was a tireless advocate for the firefighters of Tioga County and all of New York state, said Michael Smith, former Chemung County director of fire and emergency management.
“He was a close personal friend of mine, and while I was still working as the Chemung County fire coordinator, he and I worked very closely on matters related to hazardous materials response throughout the region, a radio system that would allow interoperability between the counties, the various fire departments and law enforcement, and a variety of other homeland security-related issues,” Smith said. “John was a true gentleman and was a wonderful representative of the fire service in our area and the state.”
In a statement Thursday, the Chenango County Fire Bureau said Scott would be remembered for his devotion to the fire service across New York state and Pennsylvania.
“We tragically lost an icon in the fire service today,” the statement said. “Rest easy my brother, we will take it from here.”