Doug Westhoff named Boone County Fire Protection District Chief

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Doug Westhoff has been named the new full-time chief of the Boone County Fire Protection District.

BCFPD announced in a Monday social media post that that Westoff was named the new chief. He was named the interim chief in December after Scott Olsen retired. The release says he is a fourth-generation firefighter and that his father Bill Westhoff was the district’s first chief.

“He describes his leadership style as inclusive during routine operations and steady during challenging times, guided by his father’s belief that it is the organization’s responsibility to help every member find their place to serve,” the release says.

Westhoff began his career as a joint communications officer from 1980-83 and started volunteering with BCFPD at 16 years old. He eventually served as a firefighter, lieutenant and caption at Station 1. He also served as a paramedic with Boone Hospital from 1983-200, the release says.

He became a full-time member o BCFPD in 2000 and served various roles and has represented Missouri Task Force 1 in nearly 500 public presentations.

“His leadership responsibilities have included overseeing Training, Special Operations and serving as the Program Manager for Missouri Task Force 1, one of FEMA’s 28 Urban Search and Rescue teams. Chief Westhoff has been one of the most deployed members of Missouri Task Force 1, responding to nearly 40 national and state disasters,” the statement says. “Among his most notable deployments were the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, where he served as a Task Force Leader at Ground Zero in New York City, and the response to Hurricane Katrina following the storm that devastated Louisiana.