New Grand Forks, ND, Fire Chief Hits Ground Running

Sep. 24—GRAND FORKS — Newly appointed Grand Forks Fire Chief Chuck Marcott says his professional satisfaction has evolved over 26 years in the fire service.

"Now and over the last number of years, especially in leadership roles, what I get the most sense of satisfaction out of is watching others succeed, and others doing well," Marcott said.

The longtime GFFD employee was also Northland Community & Technical College (NCTC)'s fire technology program director for a number of years.

"I have a lot of former students who are working for me here now, and seeing their career and watching them develop is really, really rewarding," Marcott said. "Thinking maybe I had at least a little part in that, as small as it may be, I do get a lot of satisfaction out of that."

Marcott was named the GFFD's new chief Aug. 28. He officially took over the role on Sept. 3.

His fire service career began with studying fire technology and administration at East Grand Forks' NCTC, which was then known as Northwest Technical College, Marcott said. He joined the Bismarck Fire Department after graduation in 1999, where he remained six years before an opportunity to return to Greater Grand Forks arose.

Though Marcott learned a lot in Bismarck, and appreciated his time there, it just wasn't "home."

"This is home for me," he said. "I was born and raised in the community here."

Marcott said he was fortunate enough to return and build a career in Grand Forks. He knew he would retire here, so he planned to only pursue opportunities that kept him in his community, where his wife — Melissa Marcott — their parents and two children live.

"My real career goal when I started was battalion chief, and I really didn't look past that up until I made battalion chief," Marcott said.

He has spent time in every GFFD rank: firefighter, senior firefighter, fire apparatus specialist, captain, battalion chief, deputy chief and chief.

Though Marcott never had his eyes on the agency's top position, he always wanted to be prepared in case the opportunity arose.

"I never wanted to not be able to try to move forward because I didn't put the work in previously, or I didn't get the education," he said.

Marcott returned to school in 2019, earning a bachelor's degree in technical operations management, as well as a certificate in supervisory leadership.

Marcott said this knowledge helped him grow in the positions he held at the time, but also prepared him for the future. Leadership skills can be learned through life experience, but understanding the theory behind the skills can allow someone to better prepare for which leadership style is appropriate in any given situation, he said.

"I highly believe in professional development throughout your entire career," Marcott said, though he noted that a degree — specific to fire service or otherwise — is not required to work at his agency.

GFFD firefighters need 24 college-level credits in any discipline.

"We get people from all sorts of different backgrounds. That's one thing that really makes the department work, is the diversity and the different backgrounds of all of our people," Marcott said.

There are 79 staff at the fire department and 21 at the Grand Forks Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP), which merged with the GFFD earlier this year.

Marcott has been heavily involved at PSAP since the transition. He primarily worked there beginning in April, assisting with significant changes to the agency's technology systems.

He said there are exceptional crews at both agencies, and he enjoys seeing his staff work together, supporting and encouraging each other's growth.

Still in the first weeks of his role as chief, Marcott is trying to determine what his day-to-day role will look like. A number of promotion opportunities have opened up due to his own promotion; his previous role as deputy chief as well as his newer position at PSAP will need be filled.

"But in the interim, I'm very much doing a dual role through the next number of months to get everything in place," Marcott said. "Even after that, I will stay significantly involved in the PSAP operations."

Marcott's emergence as the top candidate works well for the city, Mayor Brandon Bochenski told the Herald in August, since it creates opportunities for other promotions within the agency, and also for all of the new hires to hit the ground running.

"It doesn't always work out that way, but this time it did," Bochenski said. "So I'm very grateful for that."

Marcott plans to focus on making the departments as efficient as possible, especially considering new state-mandated property tax limits that affect public safety funding, as well as ever-evolving community needs.

Marcott said it's amazing how quickly 26 years have passed, and how much has changed in the industry throughout that time.

"The fire service — including the Grand Forks Fire Department and nationwide as a whole — we've really seen the fruits of our labor in fire prevention," he said.

As fire calls have gone down, the field adapted to respond to other call types that continue to go up. Firefighters are also emergency medical technicians (EMTs), and they need to hone skills for other scenarios, like technical rescue and hazardous materials.

There are also new or worsening hazards, from lithium ion batteries to active threat calls, the latter of which Marcott said have emerged significantly over the years.

"When I started in the fire service, I never dreamt of a day where we would carry ballistic gear on fire engines — bulletproof vests and things like that — and now we do," he said.

A positive change Marcott has observed throughout his career is the working relationships between different agencies.

"Thankfully, through the years, we've seen the benefit and the need to work together," he said.

Previously operating in their own silos, emergency responders of all types have seen a benefit to their communities and departments by relying on each other for their individual strengths, Marcott said.

It's important to him to be at the forefront of the community's needs, through training and other preparation. He hopes to develop a strong generation of firefighters.

"I won't be here forever, and I want to feel good about having made a positive impact on the departments and the community, and know that when the day comes for me to hang up my helmet, that there are people ready to step in and keep on going in the right direction," Marcott said.

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