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Meet Fire Chief Scott Little

December 11, 2019 | Department of Neighborhood Engagement
By: Bella Rankin

As the ideas of providing an insight to local administration, promoting the importance of the work being done, and working to highlight leaders in the community whirled about in my brain, one individual stood out to me. This feature is about Scott Little, the Chief of Fire for Lancaster City.

Coming in as York native, Little describes Lancaster City as a city that is entrenched in rich history. As being the first to lead the Fire Bureau after coming from the outside, reaching out to the community was a top priority. Even after 1 & ½  years with the bureau, community support continues to be tremendous. 

On a day-to-day basis, Little is never truly sure what the day will bring. Each day tends to provide new challenges. From trying to maintain a valued track record, to trying to find different ways to balance the internal and external community needs, one tends to wonder just how busy Chief Little and the staff in the Fire Bureau are. Well, you could say that they are very busy. 

Chief Little also mentioned the delicate balance of needs is something that weighs on him constantly. Daily, he addresses the needs of all staff and community members appropriately, but sometimes these decisions do not satisfy everyone. For example, there could be concerns within the community when working to relocate fire stations. Every community concern is valid and as a Chief, it is important to factor in these concerns and the safety of the Fire Bureau staff when working in facilities that are in great need of renovations. As someone on the external side of things, I have immense respect for the decisions Chief Little makes, the staff at the Fire Bureau, and the firefighters who constantly put their lives on the line. 

Additionally, Lancaster City’s Fire Bureau and Chief Little have received many awards for the hard work and worthy efforts in the community. Recently, Little was an honoree of the 40 under 40 award presented by Central Penn Business Journal. This award recognizes leaders in the community for their professional accomplishments and their commitment to inspiring change. 

As the perceptions and misconceptions of Fire Bureaus/Companies in the nation vary from person to person, one thing Scott Little wants others to take away is that it is necessary to have quality social skills, professionalism, and empathy in his profession no matter what challenges may be faced.