FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 4/20/2015
Council Confirms Harold Scoggins as Fire Chief
SEATTLE – City Council voted unanimously to confirm Harold Scoggins as the next Chief of the Seattle Fire Department (SFD) today. Scoggins comes to Seattle after working 25 years in the Glendale, CA fire department, most recently serving as Fire Chief since 2008. He began his career as a firefighter in the U.S. Air Force. Chief Scoggins’ first day at the department was April 1.
“Chief Scoggins has an outstanding track record and will be the type of leader that ensures our fire and medical safety is optimal,” said Councilmember Bruce Harrell, chair of the Public Safety, Civil Rights, and Technology committee.
The Seattle Fire Department’s mission is to save lives and protect property through emergency medical service, fire and rescue response and fire prevention.
Scoggins intends to address the most critical issues facing the Seattle Fire Department, which include:
- Maintaining adequate resources to meet the increasing demand for emergency medical services (EMS)
- Hiring to fill a high number of entry level firefighter vacancies
- Developing targeted recruitment to achieve a more diverse workforce
- Developing leadership and planning for future leaders
“Over the next 20 years, Seattle is expected to grow by 120,000 people and 115,000 jobs. We need to strengthen our recruitment efforts to achieve a workforce that reflects our community and our values,” added Harrell. “With rising emergency medical service calls, SFD must implement innovative solutions and utilize data analytics to help guide deployment decisions.”
The Fire Chief will manage an annual operating budget of approximately $178 million and will be responsible for leading and managing 1,100 employees at SFD. Seattle has 33 Fire Stations, serving 640,000 residents and responding to more than 88,000 alarms each year.
Chief Scoggins has a B.S. in Fire Administration from the California State University Los Angeles and a Masters of Public Administration from California State University Long Beach.
For more information regarding Harold Scoggins, visit the following links:
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