Williamson County Mayor Rogers Anderson announces the appointment of Connor Scott as the new director of the county’s Office of Public Safety.
Although Scott has southern roots, he spent more than 20 years working as a first responder, emergency manager and public safety leader in Pennsylvania and Maryland. Scott succeeds Bill Jorgensen, who retired last week after a 40-year public safety career, with 35 of those years serving Williamson County.
Jorgensen said, “I’m excited about this choice and have great confidence in Connor’s abilities and in his management style to lead a fantastic team and take the program to new levels.”
Scott began his public safety career as a firefighter/Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, just outside of Philadelphia, where he served for 10 years and rose to the rank of lieutenant. He also served as an EMT on the Temple University Hospital Critical Care Transport Team, providing emergency care for patients being transported to the Temple University trauma and burn centers.
After his time as a first responder, Connor served as the Deputy Director of Emergency Management for the Baltimore City Fire Department. While in this role, Connor led the management of multiple federally declared disasters, mass casualty incidents and hazardous materials responses, among many other major incidents and special events, including managing the city Emergency Operations Center in response to civil unrest in 2015. As part of the city Incident Management Team, he also deployed to multiple disasters across the U.S., such as New York during Hurricane Sandy and the Florida Keys during Hurricane Irma.
Following his time with Baltimore City, Scott served as the Chief of Staff for Johns Hopkins Public Safety, overseeing security operations and more than 1,000 personnel at global university campuses and healthcare locations. Throughout his career he has performed extensive emergency preparedness consulting, supporting projects ranging from strategic planning for the District of Columbia to pandemic planning in El Paso, Texas. He also served as an instructor for the Maryland Fire Rescue Institute, specializing in Fire Officer, Fire Service Instructor and Incident Command System training.
He is a Certified Emergency Manager (CEM), ProBoard Fire Officer IV, FEMA Master Exercise Practitioner (MEP), Nationally Registered EMT (NREMT), and is trained as a Tactical EMT to support high-risk law enforcement and active-threat responses. He has studied homeland security at the Naval Postgraduate School and Harvard University and holds a Master of Public Administration degree from Villanova University.
As a firefighter/EMT, Scott was awarded commendations for lifesaving, Firefighter of the Year, and meritorious service, and he was awarded the Mayor’s Medal of Honor for his actions in the Florida Keys during Hurricane Irma.
Williamson County Mayor Rogers Anderson said, “I have the utmost confidence in Connor to continue to provide strong leadership for the Public Safety Department. His experience in multiple roles throughout his career has helped build a successful framework to lead Williamson County forward.”
The Williamson County Office of Public Safety seeks out collaborative opportunities to enhance public safety, supports the community in overcoming challenges, and assists with daily emergency response operations. The Office of Public Safety includes the Williamson County Emergency Management Agency, Williamson Fire-Rescue and the Williamson County Department of Emergency Communications, the county’s 911 system.
Scott grew up just across the county line in Bellevue and recently relocated to Williamson County with his wife and two children. “My parents and siblings have always remained in Middle Tennessee, and I am thrilled to return home to serve the community in Williamson County,” Scott says. His first official day in the office is Monday, July 15.
For more information about the Office of Public Safety, visit https://williamsonready.org/2036/Public-Safety.
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