Fort Payne Fire Department Honors Training Officer Scot Westbrook as He Transitions to New Role at NACC

The Fort Payne Fire Department is bidding a fond farewell to longtime Training Officer Scot Westbrook as he begins a new chapter in his career as a faculty instructor at Northeast Alabama Community College.

Westbrook, who has served with the department for 21 years, has been the driving force behind the Fort Payne Fire Department Regional Training Center since 2014. Over the past decade, he has led 19 Firefighter Recruit Academies, training a total of 287 new recruits.

His teaching reach has extended far beyond DeKalb County. Firefighters from across the United States — as well as from countries including Japan, Germany, Greece, Italy, Belgium, Saudi Arabia, Cuba, Iraq, Kuwait, Crete, and most recently Bahrain — have traveled to Fort Payne for his instruction.

In addition to firefighter recruit training, Westbrook has taught numerous advanced courses, including Fire Officer, Fire Instructor, and Fire Inspector certifications. He has also instructed specialized rescue training in areas such as rope operations, rapid intervention (RIT), vehicle and machinery extrication, confined space rescue, trench rescue, apparatus and aerial operations, and hazardous materials response.

Fire department officials expressed deep gratitude for Westbrook’s dedication, leadership, and commitment to training over the years.

“We will miss Scot tremendously,” a department spokesperson said. “His knowledge and passion for teaching have helped shape not only our firefighters but also fire service personnel from around the world.”

The Fort Payne Fire Department congratulates Westbrook on his new position and wishes him the best as he begins this next chapter at NACC.