Scott was a truly selfless soul who received the most satisfaction by helping others. He died October 23, 2020, after battling an aggressive work-related cancer. Scott dreamed of becoming a firefighter since he was a young child. When Scott was about four years old, there was a fire on a neighbor’s property, and Scott donned his red plastic fireman helmet and plastic Scott Air-Pack and proceeded to respond to the fire.

In 1986, Scott moved with his family to Chugiak, Alaska, where he joined the Chugiak Volunteer Fire Department as a junior firefighter when he was 16 years old. During this time, Scott also worked for the Division of Forestry, State of Alaska, fighting wildfire. Scott was an avid outdoor enthusiast, and working outside fighting fire was a dream. While working for the state, Scott earned his helicopter pilot license to become a helitack firefighter. In 2001, he joined the Anchorage Fire Department.

Scott had a heart for giving and for sharing his passions for boating, fishing, hunting, and fire training and safety. One of his favorite places to go out fishing was on the Knik River, and he loved to take along friends and family at any chance. He loved to share his knowledge as an outdoorsman. A favorite was teaching during Fire Prevention Week at the elementary schools.

Shortly before Scott’s diagnosis and death, he had become an integral part of the Soldier’s Heart Program. It quickly became a passion for him to help his friends and peers with service-related trauma for military and first responders.

Scott took pride in his desire to help others and had a true servant’s heart whether on or off-duty. On a trip to Maui, Scott spent an hour searching for a woman’s lost sunglasses at the bottom of the ocean (He found them!), as well as helped an elderly woman out of the water when he noticed her struggling in the surf.

As his wife, I am sad that his life was cut short, as ours, together, had just started. Family and friends who knew Scott said he had become a changed person the last few years before his death. He was at his happiest. This provides much comfort to his wife, Jennifer; his son, MacKenzie; daughters, Kaylee and Krystina; parents, Ruth and Bill; and many, many other family and friends.