By Miles Layton
EDENTON — Edenton is gaining a fire chief with a quarter century of hard-earned experience, as the town has hired Scott McGuire to lead its fire department starting Oct. 7 — a move local officials and residents alike can welcome as a win for public safety in Chowan County.
McGuire brings 25 years with Fort Bragg Fire & Emergency Services, one of the most demanding fire and emergency response environments in the country, serving a major military installation with high operational tempo and complex emergency scenarios. That depth of experience now belongs to Edenton.
“The Town of Edenton is honored for Chief McGuire to join our team. This was a very difficult process for the applicates and myself because of the number quality candidates we received,” Town Manager Corey Gooden said. “To land a Fire Chief that has such a well versed educational background and the long years of paid & volunteer service is exactly what we asked for. Chief McGuire has a lot to bring to the table, and he has an extensive background in Emergency Response that only someone living in Eastern North Carolina can navigate. We are very excited for Chief McGuire and look forward working together.”
McQuire steps into the job after Fire Chief Billy Bass retired earlier this year from long service with the EFD. There will be a future story paying tribute to Bass’ time serving Edenton.
“I want to thank Chief Bass for all the years of service to the Community,” Gooden said. “He has been such a champion for this area and his staff. We have worked together for the town in various roles and seen the area evolve in so many aspects. Although bittersweet, I wish him well in his retirement and hope him the best in enjoying the time he has earned.”
Chief McGuire, welcome to Edenton!
Here’s McGuire’s “hero origin” story — his career began with service to the nation itself: McGuire spent nearly six years as an Airborne soldier in the U.S. Army, from October 1995 to August 2001, before transitioning directly into the fire service that same year. He spent 23 years climbing the ranks as Assistant Chief of Operations at Fort Bragg, mastering the operational side of emergency response, before being entrusted with the department’s top leadership role in April 2024. He went on to serve as Fire Chief through the installation’s name change from Fort Liberty back to Fort Bragg, steering the department through a period of transition — a skill set that should serve Edenton well as the town continues to grow.
Town Hall said McGuire’s annual salary is $115,000.
McGuire has paired that hands-on experience with a strong academic foundation, earning a bachelor’s degree in Fire Science/Firefighting from Columbia Southern University and a master’s degree in Public Policy from Liberty University in 2016. That combination of frontline leadership and policy expertise positions him to bring both tactical know-how and strategic vision to Edenton’s fire department.
For Chowan County, the hire represents a significant investment in public safety leadership. Residents can look forward to a fire chief who has spent his entire adult life training for, and leading through, high-stakes emergencies — experience the town will now draw on for years to come.
And I’ll say it again, Scott, welcome to Edenton and Chowan County!
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