Scott E. Goldstein Appointed Fire Chief

This afternoon, County Executive Ike Leggett announced the selection of Scott Goldstein as the next Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Chief.

Commented Mr. Leggett, "As a 25-year veteran of the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service, Scott Goldstein has a thorough knowledge of our system and the many operations that keep it functioning at its high-level of service. His service as acting chief, since the retirement of Chief Lohr in January, has been exceptional. His experience at all levels of fire and rescue service at the local level and with major incidents across the country gives him a broad perspective on issues that could arise locally.” 

Fire Chief Goldstein's Bio via County Office of Public Information:

During his 25-year career with the Montgomery County Fire-Rescue Service (MCFRS), Goldstein has worked his way up the ranks, achieving increasingly higher positions of responsibility and gaining a broad base of experience. 

Before being named acting chief upon the retirement of Chief Steve Lohr on January 1, Goldstein was Division Chief of Operations , the second-highest position in the department. Under his leadership were multiple functions, such as Special Operations, Emergency Medical Services, Emergency Communications (9-1-1) and Field Operations. The division had more than 900 personnel that provided services from 37 stations to more than one million County residents situated over 500 square miles. 

His previous position was Assistant Chief of Special Operations that involved daily management of fire-rescue personnel in the section serving in Hazardous Materials, Technical Rescue, Water Rescue and WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction) Response. 

Goldstein has experience in developing and coordinating MCFRS preventive and reactive response to mass gathering events such as pro golf tournaments, multi-day walks, the County Agricultural Fair and music festivals/concerts. 

He has participated in a number of disaster response operations, including the Oklahoma City bombing, the attack on the Pentagon on 9/11, hurricanes, and the 1996 bombing at the Summer Olympics in Atlanta. 

Goldstein has an Associate Degree in Applied Science from Montgomery Community College, a Bachelor of Science Degree in Fire Science from the University of Maryland, College Park and is a candidate for a Masters of Science in Homeland Security from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA.

Acting Fire Chief Scott Goldstein on Proposed Budget

From our friends at MyMCMedia. Acting Chief Goldstein shares his thoughts on the proposed FY16 County budget:

 

Division Chief Scott Goldstein To Serve As Acting Fire Chief

Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett selected Division Chief Scott Goldstein to serve as the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) Acting Fire Chief, effective January 1, 2015. Most recently Chief Goldstein was assigned as the Operations Division Chief responsible for all field delivery of fire, medical and emergency response services to a community of just over one (1) million citizens spread out over 500 square miles.

The Operations Division is the largest Division within MCFRS and provides nearly 300 daily staffing positions spread over Montgomery County's 37 fire and rescue stations. Daily staffing includes over 50 pieces of large fire and rescue apparatus, 40 EMS transport units, and several dozen specialized and support units. The Department responds to more than 110,000 emergency calls for service annually with a departmental budget of about $218 million dollars.

Prior to his assignment as the Division Chief for Operations, Chief Goldstein served as the Special Operations Section Chief, from April 2009 to May 2013. The Special Operations Section includes; hazardous materials, technical rescue, water rescue, and bomb squad response, interoperability radio cache, Emergency Operations Center liaison and staffing, as well as fire and rescue involvement in all mass gatherings/special events. In Chief Goldstein’s over 23 years with MCFRS he has also been assigned as the Operations Chief Executive Officer, Field Operations Battalion Chief, Deputy Safety Officer, shift supervisor and fire fighter.

Chief Goldstein is actively involved in the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments Fire/Police Chiefs subcommittees and was the co-chair of the Law Enforcement and EMS working group that developed a model policy on intergrated operations of law enforcement and fire and rescue personnel during law enforcement incidents.

Since 1990, Chief Goldstein has been a member of the Maryland Urban Search and Rescue Task Force. He has been an Assistant Task Force Leader, Logistics Manager, and Logistics Specialist. Chief Goldstein was instrumental in equipment research and purchasing and the development of its task force cache. He responded as a member of the FEMA Incident Support Team to the Oklahoma City bombing and Hurricane Opal and deployed as a member of MD‑TF1 to the Northridge Earthquake, Hurricanes Charley, Fran, Floyd, Marilyn, and George and to the Pentagon terrorist incident on September 11, 2001.

Chief Goldstein holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Maryland University College and is presently enrolled in the Naval Post Graduate School working towards a Master Degree in Homeland Security with a planned graduation in December 2015.

He, his wife and children reside in Montgomery County.