Earlier this month, Longmont’s Assistant Fire Marshall Marc Sampson was honored as the 2020 Fire Prevention Officer of the Year.
The award is presented by the Fire Marshals Association of Colorado, a statewide organization that annually honors professionals who go above and beyond the expectations of fire service, according to association president and Arvada Fire Protection District Fire Marshal Steven Parker.
“In an organization that has more than 110 members, there were many deserving of this award. But (Sampson) stood out when compared to the numerous other candidates,” Parker stated in a news release. “Marc is a respected and trusted member of not only the (Fire Marshals Association of Colorado), but the fire service community as a whole, which is why he was chosen.”
This award is given to an individual who works for a federal, state, municipal, county, or special district whose duties include fire prevention, life safety or community risk reduction, Parker stated, adding individuals chosen for the honor have proven accomplishments and acted as role models for other fire prevention officers.
“Marc puts in a lot of time, not only at the local level but beyond, not just in Northern Colorado, but at the state level,” said Capt. Michelle Goldman, Longmont fire marshal.
Sampson has been with the Longmont fire department for more than two decades. He started as a fire protection engineer in 1996 and has served as assistant fire marshal for close to five years.
Since 2000, Sampson has been involved in the International Code Council’s Fire Code Action Committee tasked with updating the international fire code. He will serve as the chair of the committee through 2024 to lead a group of 15 fire marshals, architects and others to publish the latest edition of the codebook.
He also has served as a planning and implementation volunteer for the Colorado Chapter of the ICC Education Institute, an annual education event for people in the industry. His role with the institute includes finding and securing instructors from across the nation to talk about code changes and new industry standards, according to a Longmont Fire, Police and Community Health and Resilience Facebook post.
Sampson for more than 15 years also has served on other committees that help publish fire codes and has held several other positions in the fire marshal association, including secretary and vice president, Goldman said.
“This goes to show you the level of involvement Marc has with the fire code. … It shows the depth of commitment and knowledge base that Marc has,” she said, adding, the fire department regards Sampson as a subject matter expert where the fire code is concerned and he participates in all new development projects for the city.
Receiving the award was unexpected, Sampson said, adding he appreciates the recognition for the work he has done in the community for the past 24 years.
“(Being) recognized by my peers is the biggest thing for me. Everything I have done in my career has gone to protect the citizens of Longmont,” he said. “I’m very humbled to be elected by the peers to be recipient of the award and by the city staff of Longmont for the recognition as well, both have been supportive of my career throughout.”
Being involved in the formulation of the fire code year after year has provided Sampson with a clear advantage he said believes benefits his community.
“Some people may call me tough and hard, but it’s not a easy decision to enforce the rules and regulations,” he said. “Being able to track (code changes) and know what is cutting edge, (keeps us) ahead of the game, ahead of the curve and makes it easier to follow code adoption. It serves the community.”
Working in fire operations is a job that often remains in the background and many times goes unnoticed, which is the goal of such work, Goldman said.
“If we do our job right, nobody notices because everyone is safe, nobody gets hurt and property is protected. If we do it right nobody should know we do it,” she said. “People don't realize how much work and effort goes into that, and that’s all the work he keeps doing.”
