STANFIELD, Ore.-Umatilla County Fire District #1 (UCFD#1) Fire Marshal Scott Goff recently received the Oregon Fire Marshals Association (OFMA) President’s Award and Life Member Award.
Goff, who is retiring in December, was recognized for his four decades of fire service work in a variety of roles across Oregon, from volunteer firefighter to UCFD#1 Fire Marshal.
The OFMA Annual Meeting was held in Hood River, Oregon March 2-5. New members are nominated, changes to the bylaws are approved, and awards are presented as part of the normal process of the meeting, according to Goff.
“You spend time doing the background work, and you don’t expect a pat on the back, so it’s pretty exciting to hear your name get called,” said Goff, who had no idea he’d be receiving the awards.
The OFMA President’s Award is presented to those who have made significant contributions to the fire service in Oregon, including serving on the board, participating in legislative activities, and supporting the professional growth of OFMA members.
UCFD#1 Deputy Fire Marshal Kelly Shelton nominated Goff for the OFMA Life Member Award, that recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the fire service community.
“It’s been awesome working under Scott the past couple years,” said Shelton. “It’s nice to see him get this recognition, it’s definitely well deserved. He’s done a lot for education and with OFMA. The amount of people he knows, and his pure code knowledge is amazing.”
From volunteer to Fire Marshal
Originally from La Grande, OR, Goff’s family moved to the Rogue Valley, OR, when he was in high school, and that’s where his fire service career began after a fateful meeting with the Phoenix Fire Chief.
After a freshman wrestling match, Goff met the Phoenix FD Chief, who explained the department’s junior firefighter program for 16- and 17-year-olds, and the rest is almost history.
“I was hooked then,” Goff said of talking with the Chief. “I just had to wait until I turned 16, so I met all the other folks at the fire department and jumped in on my 16th birthday.”
Goff volunteered with Phoenix FD until the fall of 1989, when he worked for the Turner Fire District while a student in the Fire Sciences Program at Chemeketa Community College in Salem.
In the fall of 1991, Goff left Turner and returned to the Phoenix FD, where he worked as a firefighter, Captain, and ultimately, Chief from 1997-2000.
In 2000, Goff took a position with the OSFMO in Northeast Oregon. Stationed in Pendleton, Goff worked in fire code enforcement, fire investigations, and prevention throughout Northeast Oregon.
After moving to Stanfield, OR, in 2008, Goff volunteered with the Stanfield Fire District through its merger with Hermiston Fire, and the formation of UCFD#1 in 2016.
Goff has been serving as UCFD#1’s Fire Marshal since 2018.
UCFD#1 Fire Marshal
As Fire Marshal, Goff enforces the fire code, is involved in the review of projects from planning through construction and the life of the business, conducts fire investigations, and leads fire prevention education and outreach campaigns.
“Sometimes I have to stand back, look at the big picture, and work my way in by understanding a little bit of everything,” said Goff.
For Goff, a little bit of everything includes understanding legal processes, building and construction procedures, physical and biological science, fire behavior and suppression tactics, understanding how heat and flame will impact buildings, and determining fire patterns.
Goff also enforces the fire code, which, on occasion, does mean shutting down a business or event for safety.
“We’re always seen as wanting to close, but the fire code exists to keep the community safe by looking for things that cause fires,” said Goff. “I want to see businesses stay open. I want employees to have a safe place to go to work, and I want the public to have a safe place to do their business or have a good time.”
UCFD#1 always has an on-call Chief Officer, which means Goff still staffs apparatus, responds as command staff, and serves as backup for large or multiple fires.
The evolution of firefighting
Over 40 years in fire service, Goff has seen firefighting techniques, science and technology evolve.
“I’m still constantly learning, taking in new information, seeing new technology and tactics,” said Goff.
According to Goff, how water is applied to a fire, whether in a straight hose stream (a solid stream of water sprayed into a fire) or a fog hose stream (spraying water in fine drops to make a mist that shields the heat of the fire), changes how the building reacts.
“We used to use the semi-fog pattern to get to where the fire started to put it out,” Goff recollected. “Now we’ve swung back to more of the 1960’s and 70’s way of spraying water from outside the building to make it tenable, rather than getting to the origin of the fire.”
Firefighting ventilation techniques have also evolved from trying to get the heat out of a building to pushing ventilation in through positive pressure ventilation.
“Now we try to maintain the building and control the fresh air,” said Goff.
Technology has also impacted firefighting, especially the investigative aspect of Goff’s work as Fire Marshal.
“There’s been some pretty significant changes over 40 years,” said Goff. “There’s lots from the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, when I learned this stuff that has now been totally debunked by science.”
Memories
One of the fires that stands out for Goff is the Shearer’s Foods plant fire in Hermiston in February 2022.
Six people were injured in the explosion and fire that caused over $100 million in damage, resulted in the loss of 230 jobs, and was the number three large loss fire in the nation in 2022, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).
“It had a significant impact on the community with job losses, that business never came back,” said Goff. “The Shearer’s fire also stands out because of how complex the investigation was.”
According to Goff the Shearer’s investigation was difficult, not so much due to the cause of the fire, but because of all the involved parties, with 38 people, including Shearer’s representatives, insurance agents, lawyers, contractors and more, at the initial investigation.
Goff spent close to two months on the Shearer’s investigation, due to the maize on the warehouse floor burning for six weeks, making it unsafe for fire crews to actively suppress the fire.
A well-deserved retirement
As he prepares for retirement in December, where he has worked and who he has been able to work alongside, stands out for Goff.
“I’m proud of being able to go back to Phoenix and work for about 12 years in the community I started in,” said Goff. “Then of being able to get back to Northeast Oregon and continue the career that chose me, and all the friends along the way.”
Goff originally tried to retire a few years ago but came back in 2023 when UCFD#1 received a grant to hire a Deputy Fire Marshal.
“What we do is a steep learning curve,” said Goff, who extended for another 18-months last June to continue helping train Shelton. “Kelly had an interest in it, so I offered to stick around and help. We’ve been working together for about three years through books and certifications, trainings, and with experience getting out there with public education.”
When he does finally step down as Fire Marshal, Goff, who recently celebrated his 26th wedding anniversary, plans to stay in the area, at least for now, spending time with his wife, three kids and grandchildren.
“I’m actually going to miss all of it,” said Goff. “I enjoy staying busy and the different challenges that come with being Fire Marshal.”
