John H. Byrne, who was the administrator of the Valley Center Fire Protection District from February of 2007-June 30, 2017, has died.
Byrne was in charge of the legal and financial aspects of the district, i.e. anything that was not under the purview of the fire chief.
Before coming to the fire district, Byrne had been a business attorney who helped businesses with business and financial issues, including being general manager of the Elizabeth Hospice.
He was also a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and won two Purple Hearts in Vietnam.
In addition to bringing the fire district’s finances into the 21st Century, Byrne came up with the financial methodology that allowed the district to become its own district with its own fire department.