Captain Scott Gallagher – DFPD Obituary
by MichaelKrupa | Aug 17, 2022
Captain Scott Gallagher
Scott Gallagher passed away on August 7th, 2022. Scott was a husband to Karen, a father to Gwen, a son, a brother, a mentor, co-worker, and friend to many. He was an active outdoorsman, and an avid biker. The details below will focus on his work history as it relates to the Fire and EMS service.
Scott’s fire career started in the summer of 1992, when he worked as a wildland firefighter in Eugene, Oregon. After working a summer at wildland, he found a passion for firefighting. He became a volunteer firefighter with Nederland Fire Protection District from October of 1996 until March of 1999.
In March of 1999, Scott was hired as a part time employee with Durango Fire Department. In May of 1999, he went full time. This organization transitioned into Durango Fire Rescue Authority, and then the present-day Durango Fire Protection District.
Scott advanced his EMT certification by obtaining his EMT-Intermediate in January of 2006, allowing him to provide more advanced EMS care and work on the ambulance.
In May of 2008, Scott promoted to the position of Engineer. In that position, he was responsible for driving and pumping the fire apparatus. He began his love of training others, as well as furthering his knowledge of firefighting, engineering, mechanics, and hazardous materials.
November of 2014, Scott promoted to the position of Fire Training Captain. Scott was a master in several areas of firefighting, including vehicle extrication, hazardous materials, aerial operations, hydraulics, compressed air foam (CAFS), and general firefighting. Scott’s duties included teaching all new members of the organization who started as a volunteer, as well as continuing education for all staff members.
Scott loved his work and was incredibly skilled at it. He approached every day with a smile and enthusiastically worked on every training event. His absence leaves a large hole in our organization not just for his teaching abilities, but the legacy he leaves behind in all the firefighters who are better at their jobs because of him.