Three of our firefighters were named the Shield Club’s Firefighters of the Year at the 53rd Annual Shield Club at the Idle Hour Golf and Country Club.  

Captain Andrew Tye, Lieutenant Jason Moss, and Private Peyton Kell were all presented with the honor. The Fire Department’s Executive Command Staff selects firefighters who have displayed exemplary measures or heroic acts in the fire service and the names are forwarded to the Shield Club. 

“I am extremely proud of

 our Honorees as they continue to prove their courage and dedication to protect the citizens in our community,” said Chief Shane Edwards. “Our team of firefighters continue to go above and beyond in times of crisis, and I want to say, ‘thank you’ to all our members.”

The idea for The Shield Club came from Mr. Peyton Anderson in the late 1960’s, when he learned of an organization called the 100 Club in Detroit, Michigan. Mr. Anderson was concerned with the accidents that had happened to law enforcement officers and the impact of these accidents on their families. So, he called on a few prominent friends in the Central Georgia community to establish The Shield Club in 1968. 

The original intent of the organization was to give financial assistance to firemen, policemen, and peace officers in cases of extreme hardship or to their families in the event of their death. In the beginning, The Shield Club was able to give $1,000 to an officer’s widow or family to help cover immediate costs following the officer’s passing. 

Today, The Shield Club still maintains a strong charitable purpose to benefit officers of the Macon-Bibb County Fire Department and the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office. The organization contributes $5,000 to an officer who is severely injured in the line of duty or $10,000 to the officer’s family if they are killed in the line of duty.

Additionally, The Shield Club offers $30,000 in college scholarships each year to these officers and their immediate family members (including spouses and children) who are pursuing an undergraduate degree at an accredited four-year public or private institution in the state of Georgia.