Michael Haydon

Michael Haydon joined Xcel Energy in December 2023 as Director of Situational Awareness for the wildfire program. With 33 years of experience in fire, key focus areas include prevention, response, mitigation, planning, incident management, and operational leadership. Michael has served with the USFS, BLM, and USFWS. His expertise includes wildland urban interface fires, risk analysis, and fire prediction modeling. Michael holds a degree in Business Management from the University of Montana and has pursued advanced studies in wildfire ecology, emergency management, forestry, and rangeland management. Career highlights include serving on a trail crew on the PCT, smokejumper, Fire Management Officer, Incident Commander on the Rocky Mountain Area IMT, contributing to the development of Complex Incident Management Teams, and leading large-scale wildfire response. Currently, Michael focuses on utility wildfire risk identification, meteorological analysis, situational awareness, prevention strategies, and building programs that integrate operational excellence with wildfire prevention and response. Working with passionate professionals in multiple wildfire related disciplines is what makes a big difference.