Fire Chief Sammy Negron
Sammy Negron was born and raised in the City of Ponce located in the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Ponce is the second largest metropolitan area in the island of Puerto Rico and it was there where he attended school and subsequently completed his college general studies subjects at the Catholic University of Puerto Rico.
Eager for the excitement and challenges offered by the U.S. Military Service, he joined the U.S. National Guard as a Cannon Crewman. After serving two years of National Guard Duty in 1987 he joined the United States Marine Corps and attended Marine boot camp at the Marine Recruit Depot Parris Island South Carolina.
As a U.S. Marine he rose through the ranks attaining the rank of Marine Sergeant. As a result of an injury suffered during training he was honorably discharged from the U.S. Marines in 1999 after almost twelve years of service. He served our Nation faithfully during the U.S. Marines involvements in Operations Desert Shield/Storm, Somalia and it is a veteran of operations Deny Flight and Provide Promise in the trouble region of Bosnia or former Yugoslavia.
In 1999 after completing his years of service in the U.S. Marines he joined the City of Beaufort Fire Department as a Firefighter Recruit. His passion for firefighting along with his dedication and professionalism allowed him to quickly earn him the trust of his fellow firefighters and officers. He quickly rose through the ranks obtaining the rank of Firefighter III/Inspector and served as the Assistant Fire Marshal for several years.
He is a graduate of the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg Maryland and obtained an Associate of Applied Science in Fire Science and a Bachelors of Science in Fire Science “Cum Laude” and is currently enrolled in the American Military University Master’s program in Emergency Preparedness and Management.
In 2009 and exactly ten years from the date he joined the fire service he was selected to the position of Interim Fire Chief and a year later was appointed to his current rank “Fire Chief” of the City of Beaufort Fire Department.
His accomplishments, awards and recognitions include The Citizenship Award presented by the South Carolina Firefighter’s Association, award for Dedication and Valor in the Line of Duty from the U.S. Congressional Fire Service Institute. He was also recognized by the State of South Carolina House of Representatives for saving the life of a nine day old infant. He is also a two time recipient of the J.J. Lyons City of Beaufort Firefighter of the Year Award.
In addition he is a member of the following professional organizations the National Fire Protection Association, the International Code Council, an Allied Professional Member of the Central Savannah River Chapter of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers, the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the South Carolina Chapter of the International Association of Fire Chief, the South Carolina Firefighters Association, the South Carolina Chapter of the International Association of Arson Investigators, the South Carolina Fire Marshal’s Association, the Beaufort County Fire Chief’s Association, and the National Fire Academy Alumni Association.
Chief Negron is married to Nina Negron and together they are the proud parents of one daughter and two sons.
Deputy Fire Chief Clay Scoggins Operations Officer
Clay Scoggins was born and raised in Beaufort, SC. While attending Beaufort High School he became a volunteer firefighter with The City of Beaufort / Town of Port Royal Fire Department. Clay graduated from Beaufort High School in 1993 and became a full time career firefighter with The City of Beaufort / Town of Port Royal in November of 1993.
As a firefighter Clay worked on shift and achieved the rank of Firefighter III in 1996. In 2001 he was chosen to be the department’s volunteer coordinator responsible for recruitment, retention, and training for the volunteer members.
In April of 2002 Clay attended the Technical College of the Lowcountry where he obtained his Emergency Medical Technician certification (EMT-B). Clay has also completed courses through Texas A&M (Urban Search and Rescue Technician I), Fire Officer and Instructor training through Alabama Fire College and Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute, as well as management courses through the National Fire Academy.
In 2005 Clay was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant and assigned as the department’s Assistant Training Officer responsible for managing and conducting training for both career and volunteer firefighters. Lieutenant Scoggins was also an Adjunct Instructor for the South Carolina Fire Academy. In 2010 Lieutenant Scoggins was promoted to the rank of Deputy Fire Chief responsible for the daily operations of the department. Deputy Chief Scoggins is currently enrolled in an Associates Degree program at Columbia Southern University.
Deputy Chief Scoggins has been honored with several awards. In 2001 and again in 2003 he received the Firefighter of the Year award and in 2009 he received the department’s prestigious Career Achievement Award.
Deputy Chief Scoggins is engaged to his fiancé Cherie and they have a beautiful son named Tucker.
Captain John Robinson Training / Education Officer
John Robinson is a native of Beaufort. He attended public school in Beaufort, graduating from Beaufort High School in 1986. He joined the U.S. Navy in the fall of that year and completed Basic Submarine Training School in Groton, Conn. During his military career, he was assigned to two fast attack submarines, SSN Philadelphia, and SSN City of Corpus Christi. As a 1st Class Submarine Sonarman, John completed many sensitive peace time and war time missions. Some of the honors he earned are: Navy Commendation Medal, 2 Navy Achievement Medals, Meritorious Unit Commendation Medal, Battle “E” Efficiency Award, Artic Service Medal, multiple Sea Service Deployment Ribbons, and National Defense Ribbon.
After completing his sea service requirement, John went on to his shore duty assignment as an instructor at the Submarine Sonar College in Groton, Conn. John was a lead instructor for several Sonar related courses. He earned the honored distinction as a Master Training Specialist and completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Workforce Education and Curriculum Development from Southern Illinois University.
After over 10 years of military service, John left the Navy and accepted a position with Intel Semi-Conductor in Hudson Massachusetts. John thrived with Intel, being promoted several times from an entry level technician to a consulting engineer. While working for Intel, he was responsible for the repair and maintenance of millions of dollars of complex manufacturing equipment. He taught electronics and physics classes for Intel University and often consulted with engineers in other departments on process and equipment related issues.
After several years with Intel, Capt. Robinson’s family began to grow and they decided it was time to return to South Carolina. In 2000, he accepted a position with the City of Beaufort Fire Department as a Recruit Firefighter. John was promoted through every rank in the fire department before earning his current position as the department Training and Education Officer. He is a South Carolina Fire Academy Instructor and Alumni of the National Fire Academy and has recently completed all requirements for a Master of Business Administration from Columbia Southern University. He is currently enrolled in a Masters Certificate program in Public Administration.
Capt. Robinson has been married to his lovely wife Mishawn for 17 years. They have three children, John, Jenna, and Garret.
Ms. Traci Guldner - Office Manager
Traci Ann Bice was born in Richmond, VA., on December 2, 1965. As the child of a United States Marine Corps family, she lived in many different States growing up. Traci graduated from J.R. Tucker high school in Richmond VA in June 1984. Two weeks out of High School she found herself standing on the yellow footprints at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot at Parris Island, S.C.
Traci followed her father’s footstep by becoming a U.S. Marine from 1984 until 1992. She attended Aviation Maintenance Administration School in Meridian, Ms. After which she was assigned to VMFA-312 MCAS Beaufort as an Aircraft Maintenance Administration Clerk. Traci reached the rank of Sargent and earned a Navy Achievement medal while serving at MCAS. She remained at MCAS as her permanent duty station; however she participated in many overseas deployments and various other operational deployments throughout the United States.
Traci was honorably discharged in the spring of 1992 and then went to work at Le Creuset of America, Coastal Contractors, and Beaufort County Family Court before coming to the City of Beaufort Fire Department in November 2003.
Traci is the Office Manager for the City of Beaufort Fire Department. She has two sons, Mark (22) is active duty in the Air Force, Stationed at Fort Meade, MD. and Matthew (20) lives in Beaufort.