State Fire Marshal Scott Cordes was born in West Point, NE and raised in Scribner with 3 brothers. There he attended K-12 and graduated from Scribner High. Growing up as the son of Scribner's Fire Chief, he followed in his father's footsteps and joined the Scribner Volunteer Fire Department in 1982. This ignited his fire service interest and he served the organization in various roles for nearly 15 years. He worked his way from Firefighter/EMT to Captain, and, finally, Assistant Fire Chief.

 

In 1986, Cordes accepted a position with the State Fire Marshal's Office in Scribner. He served there until 1996 when he and his family moved to Norfolk so he could take the position as their City Fire Marshal. He was quickly promoted to Assistant Fire Chief the following year and served as the manager of the Fire Prevention Bureau. Another promotion followed in 2011 when Cordes became the 7th paid and the 22nd overall Fire Chief in the department's 139-year history. He took the position of Public Safety Director/Assistant City Administrator in 2021 and served there until January 2023 when he was appointed Nebraska State Fire Marshal by Governor Jim Pillen.

 

Cordes loves to spend time with his family which includes his wonderful wife of 40 years, Lora, their four children, and eight grandchildren. He also loves traveling and enjoys fishing.