STAFF REPORT :::
The Spalding County Fire Department has appointed Michael Byrd as deputy fire chief of operations.
Byrd will be assuming the position currently held by Deputy Fire Chief Jamie Clark, who will be retiring in December after 34 and one-half years of service with the Spalding County Fire Department.
Clark has served as deputy fire chief of operations since October 2013. Spalding County officials say under Clark’s leadership, the SCFD has become “one of the premier fire departments in the region.”
Byrd is a Spalding County resident and this position brings him full circle, back to where he began his career in the fire service in 1986 as a Spalding County volunteer firefighter.
He went to work with the city of Morrow Fire Department, where he worked for 18 years, climbing the ranks to become deputy commander and training officer.
In 2008, Byrd accepted the position of deputy chief at the Georgia Fire Academy.
Through his work there, Byrd developed and instructed courses for Fire Officer II through IV.
In addition to those duties, Byrd was responsible for the hiring and supervision of a full-time staff and more than 100 part-time adjunct instructors.
Byrd, himself, is also an adjunct instructor in the Southern Crescent Technical College’s fire training program.
A graduate of Shorter College where he obtained a bachelor’s degree, Byrd also received a master’s degree in public safety leadership from Mercer University and received certification as an executive fire officer from the National Fire Academy in 2015.
According to a press release issued by Spalding County, his wide range of experience combined with the personal and professional relationships he has within the local community makes Byrd “a perfect fit for our organization.”
Byrd will on Nov. 21 begin his service with the Spalding County Fire Department in a part-time capacity, while tying up loose ends at the Georgia Fire Academy. He is expected to begin full-time on Dec. 16.