Scott Markham
Member of the Board of Directors
Mr. Markham began serving the communities of Colorado back in 1990. While working for a large steel company, he began volunteering his spare time with the Colorado Mounted Patrol and received extensive training in map and compass orientation along with numerous backcountry survival and search techniques. Four years of backcountry search and rescue made him want to be a bigger and more active part of the emergency services community and he was presented with the opportunity to become a member of the Civil Air Patrol. Over the next three years, he received many certifications including his “master mission observer” rating on a search and rescue aircraft, his EMT certification, and he was ultimately promoted to the rank of Second Lieutenant. The more training he received, the more he wanted, and when he was offered the chance to become a member of a specialized team of the Civil Air Patrol, he jumped at the chance. The team was specifically trained to respond to both military and civilian aircraft incidents, mediate any hazards, and provide assistance in evacuating and attending to passengers. Mr. Markham had already taken a strong interest in providing medical care to people and the first time he entered a “working fire” during his training, he was hooked. Suddenly he became one of those people whose first instinct was to run into a fire, instead of away.
The next logical step was to pursue both passions and start the long, difficult process of becoming a paramedic, then approaching the difficult task of pursuing a career in fire service. So he gave up a lucrative career as a foreman with a steel company, enrolled in paramedic school, and took a job driving limousines. This actually permitted him not only to make ends meet but to be able to spend several hours sitting in the back of a limousine with a stack of books while his clients were having dinner, seeing a concert or whatever the case may have been. It was perfect! When he graduated he began working for a private ambulance company, ultimately working his way up to supervisor/field training officer. He aggressively continued to build on his experience, after several years and several tests came and went, he finally got the “call” in 1998 and would spend the next twelve years working as a paramedic with the fire department, as well as, performing various ancillary duties that included holding the position of team leader for Colorado’s largest hazardous materials response team. He was also very active and donated a significant amount of time to causes such as MDA, St. Baldrick’s, and Children’s Hospital.
Unfortunately, Mr. Markham was injured on the job in 2010 and suddenly found himself struggling the next few years. Like many members of CCDC, he struggled against “systems” that don’t necessarily seem to have a person’s best interest in mind. When Josh Winkler, a personal friend to Mr. Markham whom he had worked with, and personally cared for whom he had a great amount of respect for, asked him one day to become a prospective board member for CCDC, Mr. Markham didn’t hesitate. The general rule of approaching any situation in emergency services is to provide the greatest amount of good to the most amount of people.
Mr. Markham is honored to continue that belief for the members of CCDC as a member of the board. While he is now “retired” he has several interests, including his love for travel, classic cars, and his passion for competition BBQ, a “hobby” that has now become a part-time career that occupies much of his time.