Chief Michael Tofano

Chief Tofano graduated from North Davidson High School in 1993 before moving to Altoona, Pennsylvania where he started his firefighting career in 1999.

Chief Tofano held the ranks of Firefighter, Driver, Captain, and Fire Inspector before being promoted as the Deputy Chief of Altoona Fire Department in 2012. In June 2021, he retired from the Altoona Fire Department and moved back to North Carolina after he was hired as the Deputy Chief of the Lexington Fire Department.

In 1997, he received a Bachelor of Science in political science from Carson-Newman University. He received an Executive Fire Officer certification through the National Fire Academy in 2019. Chief Tofano completed his Master of Public Administration in fire administration degree from Liberty University in 2022.

Fire Marshal Laura Ryggs

Fire Marshal Ryggs joined the Lexington Fire Department in 2012. She has served as a Firefighter, Fire Inspector I and II, and now Fire Marshal.

She has an Associate in Applied Science in fire protection technology and fire protection administration from DCCC and received a Bachelor of Science degree in emergency and disaster management from Western Carolina University in 2023. She will be starting coursework for her master’s degree in Fall 2023.

Fire Marshal Ryggs is a Level III Fire Prevention Inspector, a Probationary Level I Building Code Inspector, and a Level II Fire and Life Safety Educator.

Battalion Chief JD Everhart

Battalion Chief Everhart has been employed with the Lexington Fire Department since 2002. He has held the positions of Firefighter, Fire Company Engineer, and Fire Marshal. He was promoted to Fire Battalion Chief in 2018.

He is a Level III Fire and Life Safety Educator, Level III Fire Prevention Inspector, and a Certified Fire Investigator. He received his Associate in Applied Science in fire protection technology administration from DCCC in 2017 and completed his Bachelor of Science in fire and emergency services administration from Fayetteville State University in 2022.

He is also a member of the NC Association of Fire Chiefs.

Battalion Chief Tyler Forrest

Battalion Chief Forrest has been employed with the Lexington Fire Department since 2019. He joined the department after serving through the ranks since 2003 with the City of Salisbury as a Firefighter, Captain, Training Officer, and Battalion Chief.

He has an Associate in Applied Science degree from Forsyth Technical Community College in fire protection technology, a Bachelor of Arts in emergency management and health policy from UNC-Chapel Hill, and a Master of Arts in emergency management and homeland security from Arizona State University.

He operates a cattle and hay farm in central Davidson County during his spare time where he resides with his wife and son. 

Battalion Chief Waylon Turbeville

Battalion Chief Turbeville has been employed with the Lexington Fire Department since 2007.  He has served through the ranks as Firefighter, Engineer, Captain, and Battalion Chief. 

He has an Associate of Science degree from Columbia Southern University in fire science. He is a member of the NCIAAI and NCSFMA organizations. He is also certified as a NC Fire Instructor, a NC Fire Officer II, a NC Fire and Life Safety Educator, and holds a NC Fire Prevention Level III certification.

In his spare time, he loves being outdoors and spending time with his wife and two sons.