CULLMAN – In case of emergency, Scott Warner does not have to be called, he is most likely a part of whatever team shows up. Warner is a member of Cullman Fire Rescue, Law Enforcement and is a nationally respected physician.
After finishing college in Georgia and medical school in Florida, Warner moved to Birmingham and met his soon to be wife, Tina Warner. He and his wife Tina moved to Cullman in 1996, the same year they had their first child, Raley.
While working as an EMT during college in Florida, Warner was spurred to join “military or civil service” following the 9/11 attacks in 2001.
“I became active in establishing and pursuing certification as a key player on the national level in brand-new specialties that had emerged after the 9/11 attacks,” Warner explained.
He joined the Department of Homeland Security, where he still serves, attending to both natural and manmade disasters.
“I became one of the first physicians in the country to be board certified in Disaster Medicine,” Warner went on to say.
This achievement moved Warner closer to what he wanted to do: merge the aspects of law enforcement and emergency medical response into a singular profession.
“Military medics are as much a soldier as they are a medic, and the two are not mutually exclusive,” Warner said. He also said that this philosophy has carried over into law enforcement and he “was fortunate enough to in the very first group of physicians in the country who were eligible to sit for and successfully complete certification in Tactical Medicine and EMS Medicine.”
Warner went on to explain that he has been fortunate to be involved with helping Cullman EMS and Cullman Fire Rescue become “some of the most well-trained and forward-thinking agencies providing emergency care in the state of Alabama, if not the entire Southeast.”
He does not take credit for this accomplishment, but his vision for merging two services that often work together has helped Cullman to, in Warner’s words, “pioneer techniques and procedures that later become standard of care throughout the state and nation.”
Warner now has four children, all of which are teenagers, and he says the communication skills he has gained through family life have served him well in his professional life. “This helped me on many occasions to de-escalate situations by helping explain or phrase things in a way that people can understand.”
Warner has raised all four of his children in Cullman and says that Cullman initially attracted him because of the religious aspect of living here.
“I was attracted to Cullman because of the Christian influence here. I saw a vibrant evangelical community. I felt I could have a job and a family, and be encouraged to live out my faith here,” Warner said.
He went on to say, however, that the unique things about Cullman, such as the religious influence and distinct German heritage seem to be fading in the last few years.
“I hope that younger generations also attempt to preserve that and not lose sight of the past while embracing the future,” he said.
Warner also is wary of all the expansion and growth in Cullman lately.
“Certainly it’s nice to have new stores, particularly restaurants and other shopping available locally. I hate for Cullman, however, to become so much like other places that we lose the uniqueness that first attracted me to this community,” Warner said.
Although he’s served many jobs, Warner says his favorite role in life has been that of a husband and a father.
“All else pales in comparison to the impact one makes on one’s family and the pleasure it brings.”
Although, since all his kids are teenagers, Warner says his favorite job right now is law enforcement tactical operations and EMS/prehospital care.
“As all these new fields are emerging, and I get to be on the ground-level it’s very exciting.”
