Mike Binney is a Battalion Chief at West Metro Fire Rescue in Lakewood, Colorado, with over 15 years of operational experience. He holds a Master of Public Administration in Emergency Management and Policy from the University of Colorado and recently earned his Master of Public Health in Health Informatics from Yale University, where he also served as a Teaching Fellow in the Department of Bioethics. His research focuses on firefighter health and wellness, leveraging biometric data and predictive modeling to better understand sleep loss and operational fatigue. He was recognized as IAFF Local 1309 Firefighter of the Year for 2024 and received the Dr. Gerald Gordon EMS Instructor of the Year award from the EMS Association of Colorado in 2023. Mike’s work connects frontline experience with academic rigor, advancing data-informed insights across the fire service.

Mike’s most critical work includes volunteering in his daughter’s kindergarten classroom and making pancakes for the swim team. Known lovingly as “Dumpster Dad,” Mike is known across his home for eating all manner of snack foods (mostly mini-corn dogs and dino-bites) before they can be thrown in the trash.