ToquiNotes: Recalling the Life and Impact of Retired City Fire Captain Randy Scott, "A Fireman's Fireman"
By Jeff Toquinto on May 30, 2026 from ToquiNotes
I am not sure when I met retired Bridgeport Fire Captain Randy Scott. I am sure I met him while he did what he loved to do and what he did as good as anyone – serve as a firefighter.
Randy Scott, as his friend and former colleague Brent Harris said, “was a fireman’s fireman.” Even from the sample size I had in dealing with Scott, the description is fitting.
For those who do not know, on Monday, Feb. 25, Randy Scott passed away. He had been battling illness just prior to retiring from the Bridgeport Fire Department in September of 2014.
His wife Christy said in 2014 he began a long-term battle with short bowel syndrome. He lost 13 feet of intestine on March 22, 2014, and battled other medical issues as well.
If you knew Randy Scott, you know he deserved better than the fate he was delivered. His life was about service as he was a firefighter from a youthful age and ended up giving four decades-plus of service (some as a volunteer and some as a paid staff) to protecting lives and property.
Firefighting proved to be in his blood. His twin brother, Rick, had the same drive to care for others and ended his career as the chief of the Clarksburg Fire Department.
They grew up serving. Between them, they served nearly 80 years. That is one heck of a family legacy.
Nearly half of Randy’s service was here in the City of Bridgeport. He was a beloved member of the fire staff. To be quite honest, he was beloved by all throughout the city. One of those individuals who loved Randy Scott was former Bridgeport Deputy Police Chief Randy Hartley, whose ties with Scott were formed well before both arrived in the city.
“The Hartley’s and the Scott’s go back to my parents and his grandparents who were friends. I’ve known Rick and Randy since I was a youngster,” said Hartley. “Then they were in the fire department in Lumberport, and I was with the Shinnston Fire Department, and we saw even more of each other. If we were out at events, and there were plenty, we hung around each other. We’ve been close for as long as I can remember, and he’s served the community for as long as I can remember.”
That service started in 1973 as a volunteer in Lumberport for a dozen years. By the mid-1980s, he hopped the state line and served as a sergeant in Howard County, MD., before returning to the Mountain State.
The return came after learning about an opening in Bridgeport. After that, he spent the rest of his career answering countless calls to do what he did best – save lives and property.
“I was employed as a police officer when Randy became a firefighter in Bridgeport. We would spend a lot of time together if we were working the same shifts. It was like old times, and those times were good,” Hartley said.
While Hartley would see his friend if their shifts aligned, Harris worked on the shift that Scott oversaw.
“I was on his shift for nearly five years, but knew him before that,” said Harris, also retired but working in the oil and gas industry among others today. “He grew up in Lumberport, and I was in Shinnston, so we had a common thread. When I started volunteering in Bridgeport that’s where we became friends.”
Harris said Scott had an immediate impact on him. But, he said it was not limited to just one person under his tutelage.
“He set the mold for the younger generation because of how he trained and how he performed for the job. He studied and trained harder than anyone to have such a vast knowledge of his profession,” said Harris. “The goal was to make himself, and everyone else that he trained, a better firefighter.”
If you could develop a training fetish, Scott had it. And it was known beyond the firehouse.
“He was always training,” said Hartley. “If I were ever seriously hurt or needed someone to help me, I would hope Randy or Rick Scott were the ones to help me. Those two knew their stuff. Everyone at the police department, and anyone close to the fire department, knew how well trained Randy was in his profession.”
Randy Scott also had another training fetish. And that would involve training himself to be in the best shape he physically could be in.
“I remember he was maybe 55 or so before his illness and he had a genuine six pack. He worked out religiously,” said Hartley, who added 
Scott also watched his diet closely. “I don’t know every reason he did it, but I know he wanted to be in tiptop shape so he could handle whatever came his way if out on call.
Scott also watched his diet closely. “I don’t know every reason he did it, but I know he wanted to be in tiptop shape so he could handle whatever came his way if out on call.
“It was constant. I remember stopping down for a cup of coffee at the station at 3 a.m. and Randy would pop out of the back from a workout,” Hartley continued. “The reason he was like that was simple. When you combined that with training in his profession to learning the newest and best techniques, he just wanted to take his profession to a higher level.”
Hartley was not the only one recalling Scott’s addiction to physical fitness.
“We used to work out every shift, but he wasn’t doing like heavy weightlifting. He focused more on calisthenics,” said Harris. “I watched him jump rope straight for an hour non-stop. Who does that? Anyone that knew him wouldn’t question if that happened.”
Harris said that as serious and dedicated as Randy Scott was to being a firefighter, the shift Scott led was something everyone in it looked forward to. He said things were going so smoothly that “no one wanted to miss a shift because you were afraid you might miss out on something.”
Those who worked directly under him, or with him in any capacity, got something else.
“He made a job that can be difficult enjoyable. We always had an enjoyable time whether in training or on a call,” Harris said. “The shift I was on played to everyone’s strength, and we all knew our roles because Randy made sure it was that way.”
Current Chief Greg Pigg worked with Scott for several years. Although he was not on his shift, he said it was obvious Scott was enthusiastic about what he did.
“He loved fire service and the job in general. He was such a huge advocate of training. He really pushed fire training along with showing everyone the benefits of working out,” Pigg said. “He wanted that because it would help in any type of emergency. For someone coming into this job, he set a great example.”
Leadership by example. And leadership that still is entrenched in the Bridgeport Fire Department and countless others trained under his 
hand during his time here.
hand during his time here.
And for those who do not recall Randy Scott or remember him, there is a good chance that someone you know, perhaps a family member, benefitted from Scott’s dedication to his profession. Considering his decades in the business and thousands of calls he responded to, it is more likely than unlikely.
Randy Scott was a leader. He saved lives. He made a difference. His legacy is a fire that will continue to burn for as long as fire service is provided.
“He was the best,” said Harris.
Rest in peace Randy. Your work here is finished.
Click HERE to read his wife’s tribute to him on Facebook, which describes more of the battle Randy went through.
Editor's Note: Top photo from 2013 shows Randy Scott, center, with former Chief Chuck Feathers, right, and Bridgeport Police Officer Mike Lemley at the Johnson Center fire. Second photo shows Scott being honored at retirmenet ceremony with former Chief Robert Seccuro. In the third photo, Scott, far right, is shown doing training along frozen conditions at Deegan Lake. In the fourth photo, Scott, far right, is shown with Police Officer Steven Brown following a tractor trailer crashing off I-79 onto Johnson Avenue - with no injuries. In the fifth photo is one of the shifts Scott headed. Kneeling, bottom row, from left, is Matt Reed, Josh Keough, and Steve Gallo. Second row, from left, Scott Wilburn, Brent Harris, Dylan Oviedo, and Scott. In the sixth image, twin brother Rick, left, is joined by Randy Hartley during Randy Scott's retirement. Bottom photo shows Scott's uniform he had in storage after moving in Florida.
