During the March 18 , Commission Meeting Mayor Lester Miller and the Commission honored a very special retired firefighter. Mayor Miller and the Stafford family were in on a little surprise for Chief Stephan M. Stafford. Chief Stafford thought his wife was going to be recognized when it was really all for him. 

“Whereas Chief Stephan M. Stafford began his career as a Macon-Bibb County Firefighter on June 12, 1974,” Mayor Miller began to read. 

Tears began to collect in his eyes as Chief Stafford realized the proclamation Mayor Miller was reading was actually meant for him.  

February 11, 2025, marked the 10th anniversary of a fatal fire on Fairview Drive in Macon, where Battalion Chief Stafford was injured and airlifted to Joseph M. Still Burn Center in Augusta GA, where he spent more than a month. He was released on March 18, 2015, and returned home to recover with the help of his wife, Dr. Sharon L. Stafford, and their children and many other family members and friends. 

He retired later that year in August after serving 41 years as a Macon-Bibb Firefighter serving as a strong advocate of both community and firefighter safety through training, familiarization and preparedness.