Michael Burwell

Manager of I.T.

Michael Burwell, who joined FirstWatch in 2010, has a critical job. He’s tasked with making sure the computing systems, including the hardware and software that our customers and internal staff rely on to run FirstWatch, is properly maintained and updated.

For most people, troubleshooting a computer issue is about as fun as a stubbed toe. For Michael, technical issues are challenges that he enjoys delving into and getting solved quickly. “If I’m doing my job to the best degree possible, then nobody notices I’m doing it. The system doesn’t break. Things don’t slow down. People don’t get error messages. It’s a preventive role and proactive approach. My goal is to anticipate IT issues before they happen.”

Michael earned a BS from the College of Education at the University of Georgia, but he quickly realized that information technology was his passion. He’s especially proud of the FirstWatch teams’ ability to solve problems for customers, including one EMS agency that was struggling with boosting response times and turned to FirstWatch to determine where the delays were occurring. “Within about a month they had significantly increased their response-time compliance,” he says.

When he’s not on call from his office in Athens, Ga., you can often find Michael cooking and experimenting with the cuisines of different cultures. His specialties include fresh-baked sourdough bread and vegan dishes made from fresh produce grown in his garden, but his wife’s favorite is his homemade chocolate chip cookies. Michael and his wife are proud parents of their son and daughter.