Chief (ret.) Scott Burnette from Hendersonville (NC) joins the Line of Duty Death Outreach and Research Program as deputy to Chief (ret.) Ian Bennett. Chief Burnette started his fire service career as a volunteer firefighter for the Mills River (NC) Fire Department in 1988. He became a career firefighter with the City of Asheville (NC) Fire Department in 1995, and worked his way through the ranks, promoting to fire chief in 2009. Scott was Asheville’s fire chief from 2009 to 2023 and was instrumental in helping the department recover from the tragic loss of Captain Jeff Bowen in 2011. where he rose through the ranks and became fire chief from 2009-2023. He has an associate degree in Fire Protection Technology from Gaston College, a bachelor’s degree in Fire Safety Engineering Technology from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and a master’s degree in Executive Fire Service Leadership from Grand Canyon University. Scott is a designated Chief Fire Officer through the Center for Public Safety Excellence and is a graduate of the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program.
Ms. Judy Kirk joins the Fire Programs Team and will be lending her expertise in events management and special projects. Judy brings more than three decades of experience in grants management, non-profits development and fundraising, and events planning. Her career arc has taken her through a wide range of organizations, including the International Association of Fire Chiefs, Quinlan and Associates, The Nature Conservancy, and Longwood College (now Longwood University), Virginia’s third oldest public university.
