New Bedford Fire Chief Scott Kruger Announces His Retirement
NEW BEDFORD (WBSM) — New Bedford Fire Chief Scott Kruger is retiring after 34 years on the job.
“It’s truly been an honor,” said Kruger, who will retire effective July 5. “When the conditions were at their worst, the brave firefighters of the NBFD were at their best. I couldn’t be more proud of the entire team here.”
Kruger was named chief of the department in 2022, after serving as acting chief since 2020. He began his career with EMS as an emergency medical technician in 1991 before being appointed as a firefighter in 1993.
“In his eight years as a firefighter, he received two commendations, first for his role in rescuing an elderly woman from a structure fire on Ward Street in 1995, and then for aiding a male resident trapped on the third floor of a three-family dwelling on fire on Purchase Street in 1999,” the fire department posted on its Facebook page.
Kruger was then promoted to lieutenant in 2001, captain in 2007, district chief in 2010 and acting deputy chief in 2019.
“Chief Kruger retires with a clear record of success,” New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell said. “He leaves the Department in a strong position to sustain its improvement.”
“During his career, he had a hand in almost every facet of NBFD operations. He trained the entire department in first-responder medical training, while in Fire Prevention, he oversaw the installation of fire sprinkler and alarm systems in more than 100 bars and nightclubs in the wake of the Station nightclub fire, he coordinated an Arson Task Force with local police, state police, and prosecutors from the District Attorney’s Office that resulted in the arrest and prosecution of several individuals who set multiple arson fires. He joined several other EMS instructors on a team that brought Stop-the-Bleed medical training to the NBFD to boost skills in emergency first-aid and was also instrumental in bringing epinephrine (EpiPens) and naloxone (Narcan) to the NBFD. He was named Paramedic of the Year in 2018 by the Greater New Bedford/Fall River EMS Committee.” — New Bedford Fire Department
Mitchell Talks More of Kruger’s Success as Chief
In his weekly appearance on WBSM, Mayor Mitchell continued to praise Kruger and the work he has done at the helm of the fire department.
“Scott’s done a really good job,” he said. “Structure fires are down 25 percent in the last few years, it’s hard to say exactly why but it does coincide with the department’s shift to a more data-driven management approach.”
“We’ve beefed up fire inspections greatly over the past couple of years, and focused on identifying buildings with a high risk for violations, a history of code violations that are not owner-occupied,” Mitchell said. “They’ve gotten after it and some of that work has made a difference.”
Mitchell also pointed out that in the current year, the NBFD has added four new pieces of fire apparatus to its fleet, more than any other year in department history.
Why Is New Bedford’s Fire Chief Retiring?
“He’s had to endure a lot of medical issues, serious stuff, and despite it all he just grinned his way through it,” Mitchell said. “It was very debilitating stuff with his eyes, his back, and he never complained, never entertained going out on disability, any of that stuff. He was very disciplined about it.”
Who Will Be New Bedford’s Next Fire Chief?
Mitchell said he will name an acting fire chief at some point, but that the eventual appointment of a new chief will come through Civil Service.
“There’s not a lot of discretion in being able to appoint them,” Mitchell said. “What we look for is, we want some effective leadership. In the front office of the fire department, we have some firefighters who I think are pretty well prepared. We’ll go through that analysis very soon, but I’m comfortable that what we have in the department is solid.”
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Gallery Credit: Tim Weisberg
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