Fire Risk Management

Following a forty year career in the New Hampshire Fire Service, Norman W. Skantze comes with a proven record of community service and practical problem solving skills.  In the course of his career, Skantze has provided the essential fire, emergency medical, and emergency management skills to  municipalities, regions and state government. Norm Skantze grew up in New Hampshire and following in the footsteps of his grandfather and father  served as a volunteer firefighter and EMT in his hometown of Gilmanton, Later, he earned a Bachelors  of Science degree in Management-Public Administration and an Associates of Science degree in Safety from Keene State College. Following his education, Skantze spent the next three decades working as a career firefighter, advanced emergency medical technician, fire inspector, fire chief and emergency management director in several New Hampshire communities. Norm Skantze was the first career fire inspector in the town of Amherst, NH, and the first career fire chief in towns of Gilmanton, Bristol, and Swanzey, NH.  More recently he has served as the Fire Chief and Emergency Management Director in the town of Wolfeboro. This history has contributed to a broad range of experience in fire service leadership, organizational development, fire protection, community risk reduction, emergency medical services, code enforcement, and emergency management.  As Emergency Management Director and Fire Chief, Skantze lead the town of Wolfeboro's local response to the Covid 19 Pandemic where he worked as the town's Incident Commander, providing organizational leadership in the management of the Emergency Operations Center.  In addition to his work as a career Fire Chief, Norm Skantze was selected to serve as a member of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the Lakes Region Mutual Aid Association in the between 1989 and 1994 and  in 1994 was selected to serve as the organization's Chief Coordinator supervising the regional communications center and coordinating mutual response throughout the thirty-five member territory.  In 2012 Skantze was appointed to the New Hampshire Board of Fire Control by then Governor John Lynch..  The Board of Fire Control operates under the provisions of RSA 153:2 and provides advice and council to the New Hampshire State Fire Marshal. Additionally, the Board holds hearings, takes testimony and considers exhibits to amend the State Fire Code as well as recommending periodic updates of national standards which comprise the state fire code.  In 2018 Skantze was elected by his colleagues to serve as Vice Chair. In 2020 Governor Chris Sununu appointed Skantze to serve as Chair of the New Hampshire Board of Fire Control and the Joint Committee on Code Enforcement. Norm Skantze now resides and works in Swanzey, New Hampshire giving him good accessibility to clients in New Hampshire, and New England.