Salvatore J. Scarpa serves as the Fire-EMS Chief for the Columbus Consolidated Government. Chief Scarpa has been in the fire service since 1991. He began his service as a volunteer FireFighter/EMT for the East Rutherford, NJ Fire Department. He moved to the Kansas City area in 1995 where he continued his service as a paid firefighter rising through the ranks over the next twenty-five years. In 2020, he was appointed Fire-EMS Chief in Columbus GA.

Chief Scarpa has written numerous professional articles for the fire service and presented at many regional and national conferences on emerging issues in the fire service. He has an associate’s degree in fire science, a bachelor’s degree in public administration, and a master’s degree in leadership studies. He is a graduate of the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer (EFO) program, a credentialed Chief Fire Officer (CFO) with the Center for Public Safety Excellence, and a graduate of the International Association of Fire Chiefs' Fire Service Executive Development Institute (FSEDI).