Head Named Interim Fire Chief
County Manager Eric Johnson has appointed Division Chief Barry Head to serve as interim fire chief effective Oct. 17, following the retirement of Fire Chief Danny Bowman. Bowman is retiring Oct. 16, after 50 years in fire services. Bowman has been with Forsyth County since 2001.
Chief Head has protected Forsyth County for over 25 years. He began his service in 1990 as a dispatcher in the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office. While there, he was promoted three times, achieving the rank of sergeant. In 1997, he transferred to the Fire Department as a fire inspector.
In 1999, Head moved from fire inspector to fire fighter, a position he held for approximately two years. In 2001 he was promoted to fire lieutenant and in 2012 to division chief, fire marshal. He has been in his current position of division chief, field operation since 2017.
As division chief, field operations, Head is directly responsible for the daily field operations of the department and supervision of the six battalion chiefs. In addition, all fire station operations and emergency response are under his command.
Over the past 28 years, Head took advantage of numerous training opportunities, earning certification in over 20 areas ranging from fire investigation to responding to terrorism. In addition to tactical and situational training, he also received certification in management development from the University of Georgia.
“Chief Head has been a great asset to the Forsyth County Fire Department,” said Johnson. “He is a qualified leader and is well respected both within and outside the department. Our residents can be assured that Chief Head will continue the excellent job our Fire Department does in providing life-saving services to our community.”