Somerset Fire Chief Scott Jepson Dead at 54

SOMERSET — Longtime Somerset Fire Department Chief Scott Jepson has passed away, town officials announced Thursday afternoon.

Somerset Deputy Fire Chief Jamison Barros, Police Chief George McNeil and Town Administrator Richard M. Brown issued a press release stating that at approximately 1:30 p.m. Thursday, police and fire personnel responded to the residence of Chief Jepson, who was suffering from an injury.

Jepson was immediately transported by ambulance to Charlton Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

He was 54 years old.

Jepson’s Facebook page says he was a Fairhaven native and a 1983 graduate of Old Rochester Regional High School.

According to his bio on the Somerset Fire Department website, Jepson joined the department in 1992 as a firefighter/paramedic, before being promoted to lieutenant in 2004 and then becoming chief in February of 2008. He was entering the final year of a three-year contract he signed back in 2017.

He began his career in 1985, serving two departments as a paid and call firefighter prior to coming to Somerset. He graduated from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Sciences with a Bachelor’s Degree in 1988, and was also a registered pharmacist. He also completed EMT courses at Northeastern University and Cape Cod Community College.

Jepson had been diagnosed with cancer in July of 2016, taking medical leave before returning to half and three-fourths days, according to a story in the Somerset Spectator.

Jepson is survived by his wife, Angelina, and their teenage son Ian.

Somerset Police and State Police detectives assigned to the Bristol County District Attorney's office are conducting an investigation, as they do in all cases of an unattended death. However, Somerset officials said in the release that foul play is not suspected at this time. They did say, however, that the matter remains under active investigation.