Derry Battalion Chief Scott Haggart Retires After 30 Years Of Service

DERRY, NH — Derry Fire Battalion Chief Scott Haggart was honored by current and past firefighters Saturday as he finished his last shift before retiring.

The firefighters lined up inside the station as Haggart exited the station and shook hands, and gave emotional hugs. Haggart has served the town of Derry for 28 years and has served in different fire and EMS fields since 1992.

After he exited the station, he positioned himself in the passenger seat of Derry Fire Engine 2 and, with a police escort, was driven to his home in Chester.

When the engine arrived at the family's home, a large gathering of colleagues, friends, and family applauded as he arrived. He spent some time thanking everyone and posed for a few photos.

A Derry fire dispatcher recapped his career over the radio and thanked him for his service and contributions. Haggart took to the radio to share his appreciation for the town of Derry and his peers and then signed off the air for the last time.

Haggart started his career as an EMT in the Burlington, Vermont, area before attending NHTI’s Paramedic Program from 1990-1992. After graduating from NHTI, he worked in private EMS and volunteered for the Bow Fire Department before joining the Derry Fire Department in 1995.

Over the past 28 years, he has served as a Firefighter Paramedic, Lieutenant, Captain, and Battalion Chief. He has served as Chairman of the Department’s Safety Committee, Department Safety Officer, served on the Town Wide Safety Committee, assigned as a pre-employment background investigator, Union positions of Steward, Chief Steward and Negotiations Team Member, Member of the Regional Hazardous Materials Team, and served for eight years as the Captain of the Central Station.

In April 2015, Haggart was promoted to the rank of Battalion Chief. As the Battalion Chief assigned to Battalion 4, he was responsible for all on-duty firefighters and has Department-wide responsibility for Operations. As the Chief of Operations, his primary responsibility was for fire suppression, hazardous materials, technical rescue, personnel accountability, pre-incident planning, mutual and automatic aid agreements, and post-incident analysis.

He has a B.S. Degree in Management from Granite State College and has completed the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program. He holds numerous certifications in addition to Fire and EMS that include Hazardous Materials Technician, various technical rescue disciplines, and Fire Inspector.

Haggart is married to his wife, Deena, and they have two adult sons, Ryan and Nolan, and dog Sammy.

©Jeffrey Hastings www.frameofmindphoto.com/news