Fire Chief

Garry Spain was appointed Fire Chief on April 6th, 2015. Before joining us here in North Myrtle Beach, he served for over 27 years with the Raleigh Fire Department Operations and Fire Services Division in North Carolina, retiring as Assistant Chief.

Chief Spain started his fire career with the Raleigh Fire Department in 1988.  Chief Spain rose through the ranks as a First Class in 1991, Lieutenant in 1992, Captain in  1996, Battalion Chief in 2004, Division Chief in 2009, and to Assistant Chief in 2012. As Assistant Chief, he was responsible for the majority of the purchasing in the Fire Department, the building and renovation of fire stations, and all new fire equipment. During his time in Raleigh, Chief Spain was also part of the Regional Hazmat and USAR teams. He has an Associate’s Degree in Fire Science from Delta College, Bachelors in Fire Administration from Columbia Southern College and a Masters in Public Administration from Columbia Southern College. Chief Spain has attended many different classes from the National Fire Academy. His certifications include Fire Officer I & II, Fire Chief 101, CFO, Fire Fighter I & II Instructor, Fire Apparatus Driver/Operator, Emergency Medical Technician, Urban Search and Rescue, and Hazardous Materials Technician.

As Fire Chief of North Myrtle Beach Fire Department, he is responsible for  the daily operations of a 67 member Department with 5 Stations. The Department contains one Fire Prevention Office with 1- Division Chief and 2- Assistant Fire Marshals. The Training Division consist of a Division Chief and 1- Lieutenant Health and Safety Officer.

Chief Spain is a very strong proponent of an active Fire Department in the community. He encourages his members to get out in the area they serve by performing fire education, training, building surveys, inspections or just simply active involvement with the community.

He is a member of the North Myrtle Beach Rotary and Optimist Clubs. He is an active member of Lakeside Baptist Church where is also a Grief Share facilitator.  Chief Spain is a member of  Horry County and South Carolina’s Fire Chief Associations and the South Carolina Firefighter’s Association.  Chief Spain is a member of the South Carolina FAST team and the Fire Chief’s PEER Team.

Chief Spain is happily married to his wife Jennifer who is a retired Wake County School Administrator. They have two sons Colton who is a Raleigh Fire Fighter and Jacob who passed away when he was 16 years old (5-20-2012) from a sudden brain aneurysm.