OWEGO, N.Y. — A Tioga County fire coordinator was killed Wednesday after being struck by a pickup truck.
John Scott, 71, was performing maintenance at a county radio tower when the truck hit him, reported the Press Connects.
Scott was a 45-year veteran of the Campville Fire Department, and served as a county fire coordinator since 1999. Throughout the years, he had served in numerous leadership roles, including chief and commissioner.
“If you ever had a problem or a question about being a new chief or being a firefighter, you could always go to John. We’ve always been a close family,” Campville Fire Chief Mark Daniel said. “The department right now is still in shock, and it is still hard to accept that John is no longer with us.”
Scott served on the New York State Association of Fire Chiefs and a member of the planning committee for the annual New York State Fire Chief’s Convention.
“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,” Tioga County Legislature Chairwoman Martha Sauerbery. “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.”
“We tragically lost an icon in the fire service today. Rest easy my brother, we will take it from here,” wrote the Chenango County Fire Bureau in a statement.
Officials are still investigating the incident.