Newport Beach's New Chief: LACoFD Deputy Chief Scott Poster

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Congratulations are in order to Deputy Chief Scott Poster who is leaving LACoFD next week and heading to the City of Newport Beach where he will serve as their new Fire Chief. Poster was selected for this esteemed position on January 13, 2012 and will start there on February 6. According to a prepared statement from City Manager Dave Kiff, "We patiently searched for the right fit – the ideal mix of experience, education and leadership style – for Newport Beach and we have found it in Chief Poster."

Poster has over 30 years of experience in the fire service and has worked his way through the ranks, beginning as a paid Call Fire Fighter for the Lake Arrowhead Fire Protection District in 1975. Following that, he joined the Los Angeles Fire Department in 1979 and resigned to join our Department's 62nd Recruit Class in the spring of 1983. During his time at LACoFD, he has held several positions including Fire Fighter, Fire Fighter Paramedic, Fire Fighter Specialist, Fire Captain, Battalion Chief, Assistant Fire Chief (Fire Marshal) and most recently Deputy Chief.

While Poster is truly excited about starting this new chapter in his career, he is thankful for the time he has spent at our Department. He said, "One of the things I want everyone to know is that from the day I started at LACoFD (February 12, 1983 to February 3, 2012) I have looked forward to coming to work every single day. I love my job and love serving the County." When asked what he will miss the most, Poster immediately said the people. "Over the last 10 years one of the highlights for me has been the relationships I've made with our non-sworn staff in all divisions, staff in the CEO's office and the Los Angeles Regional Interoperable Communications System (LA-RICS)."

Other highlights for Poster have been the 20 years he served as a paramedic, the opportunity to become an advocate for business operations, being recognized as a County STAR, and his time as a member of the Executive Team. "I like being effective and resourceful and as a part of the Executive Team, I was able to create and implement new policies and procedures to help guide the direction of our Department."

Teamwork is an essential element in the fire service. It is one of our Department's core values and Poster embraces that concept. "Some of the most enjoyable experiences I've had here are being part of a team and solving complex problems from emergency incidents to administrative issues. The teamwork experienced working on fire engines and trucks was amazing, however the passion and can-do attitude of ad-hoc non-sworn project teams was phenomenal." Topping his list as a few of the most memorable team experiences include his work on the Old Topanga Fire, the Calabasas Fire, Shuttle Columbia Recovery, Hurricane Katrina, and coordinating the Memorial for Ted Hall and Arnie Quinones. One such team project that he fully believes in is the Strategic Plan. "I really support Fire Chief Daryl Osby's movement on the Strategic Plan. I think that it is the right way to guide our organization. Although I wish that I could help him implement it, I have confidence that his new Executive Team will successfully accomplish this," he said.

Another project Poster counts among his favorites is LA-RICS. This revolutionary communications project will benefit 10 million people and 34,000 first responders. LA-RICS encompasses all law enforcement agencies and fire departments in the County. During Poster's assignment as the Interim Director of LA-RICS, he had the opportunity to represent our region in Washington, D.C., and Sacramento. While there he met with representatives from the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA, as well as selected committee members of the House and the Senate to advocate for this important project.

With his many varied encounters and experiences at our Department, Poster is ready for his new task at hand. He said, "The amount of diversified experiences that I've enjoyed here serving the County of L.A. has left me well prepared to be successful in my new position as Fire Chief of Newport Beach. I am excited about this new opportunity and look forward to being able to provide direction and guidance to my new department and to redefine the fire service to meet today's challenges." Congratulations again; we wish you the best of luck!

Republished with permission of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. View original article here.



Author:LACoFD