Scott Schoonover was a teenager at Klein Oak High School when he signed on as a junior firefighter at Spring Fire Department's Station 2 in Northampton on Aug. 4, 1996. Thirty years later, the Spring native runs the department's entire support operation as Deputy Chief of Support Services.

The Spring Fire Department marked the milestone on Tuesday, the exact anniversary of Schoonover's first day, calling him chief and wishing him many more years of service.

Schoonover oversees logistics, quartermasters, communications, computer technology, the apparatus fleet and all nine Spring Fire stations, according to his department biography. Under his direction, the department has become a testing site where top fire equipment manufacturers trial the latest technology to keep firefighters safe.

His path from the junior ranks to the command staff wound through nearly every corner of the organization. He rose from Captain to Senior Captain, served as Fire Marshal and District 71 EMS Coordinator, and fought fires out of Stations 71, 72 and 75 before reaching the executive level.

He still remembers playing ping pong in the old Station 2 while waiting for emergency calls.

He earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and Homeland Security from Waldorf University while still pulling shifts, then completed the Leadership Command College and the Fire Executive Management Training program at Sam Houston State University's Bill Blackwood Law Enforcement Management Institute. His 2020 research paper, "Beyond the Cuff: Understanding Cumulative Stress Overload," is published in SHSU's Newton Gresham Library.

Schoonover also holds a Master Certified Police Officer credential and previously served as a captain in the Investigations Division of the Harris County Fire Marshal's Office.

At the department's November 2025 awards banquet, Schoonover presented the Fire Chief's Award to Facilities Director Donald May, noting that May keeps the administration building and nine fire stations running while juggling three major construction projects.

Away from the station, Schoonover spends time with his wife, Kristy, and their five dogs. He plays golf. He listens to Texas country music and cheers for the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Astros. He still remembers watching the Goodyear blimp take off and land in Spring.

The department's next major community event is its Fire Prevention Month Kick Off on Saturday, Oct. 3, at the W.W. "Cotton" Weaver Training Center. The department serves approximately 168,000 people across 62 square miles in North Harris County.