Meet the team

Mike Byrd - Fire Chief/Fire Department Operations

Chief Byrd oversees all fire department operations, including emergency responses, fire prevention, fire investigations, community risk reduction, departmental professional development, and departmental accreditations.

In 1986, he began his career in the fire service as a volunteer firefighter with the Spalding County Fire Department. He started his paid career with the City of Morrow Fire Department in Clayton County. While there, he served in several capacities, including firefighter EMT, Shift Commander, Training Officer, Fire Inspector, and CERT team coordinator.

In 2008, he left the City of Morrow to become DeputyChief/PSTI Manager II at the Georgia Fire Academy. He was the second in command and was responsible for supervising the day-to-day operations of the Fire Academy and the GPSTC Fire Department. He was also hired to develop and manage the newly created fire officer development program. He supervised the development of Fire Officer I and produced and wrote Fire Officers II, III, and IV. These programs were created to prepare current and future Georgia Fire Service Officers, from entry-level supervisors to Fire Chiefs. While at the Fire Academy, he also developed and wrote Fire Instructor I and II. Chief Byrd supervised the update and development of live fire training programs, including live fire instructors and the Georgia Basic Firefighter Training Curriculum.

In 2019, Chief Byrd rejoined the Spalding County Fire Department as the Deputy Chief of Fire Department Operations, which was later reclassified as the Fire Chief of Fire Department operations.

Chief Byrd holds an associate degree in Fire Department Management from Georgia Perimeter College, a bachelor's degree in business management from Shorter University, and a master's degree in public safety leadership from Mercer University. He is currently enrolled in a doctorate program in Public Safety with an emphasis on Emergency Management at Middle Georgia State University. He is also a graduate of the National Fire Academy's Executive Fire Officer Program.

He is credentialed through the Commission on Fire Service Excellence as a Chief Fire Officer, the Georgia Association of Fire Chiefs as a Fire Chief, the International Accreditation for Fire Service Organizations as a Firefighter II, Fire Instructor III, Fire Inspector I, Public Fire and Life Safety Educator I, and Fire Officer IV. He is also credentialed as a Live Fire Instructor through the Georgia Fire Academy. In addition, Chief Byrd is a certified Emergency Medical Technician-Intermediate.

Chief Byrd was the 2022 Georgia Fire Chief of the Year and serves as the First Vice President of the Georgia State Firefighter's Association. He has been published in trade journals and research papers in the National Emergency Training Center's Library collection. He has also served on a textbook development group to train entry-level to middle-level managers through the International Fire Service Training Association.

He was a Fire Inspector for Atlanta's 1996 Centennial Olympic Games. He worked at the World Congress Center, the Omni, the Georgia Dome, and Atlanta Beach. Currently, he is an active member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, Georgia State Firefighter’sAssociation, Metro Atlanta Fire Chiefs Association, and Griffin Rotary.

ChiefByrd is married to Dr. Meredith Byrd, an Assistant Principal with the BibbCounty School District. They have four children: James, Joshua, Maicee, andMadison. Maicee also works for Spalding County and is a deputy sheriff detention officer with the Sheriff's Department.