Etheredge adjusts to new role as assistant fire chief

When new Hoover fire Chief Clay Bentley decided he wanted to name a No. 2 leader in the Fire Department, he chose Brandon Etheredge.

Etheredge, 41, was appointed to fill the newly created position of assistant chief in October and has been adjusting to the new role and a new work schedule.

“It has been challenging, but it has been rewarding as well,” Etheredge said. He’s grateful to have an opportunity to impact the department in a greater way, he said.

Bentley said Etheredge is a great fit for the job, as he has been with the Hoover Fire Department 21 years and is highly respected within the department.

He has been instrumental in the Fire Department’s technical rescue disciplines, including search and rescue, vehicle extrication, confined space rescue, high-angle rescue, and surface water and dive rescue, Bentley said. Etheredge also commanded the hazardous materials unit and has fostered a tremendous relationship with the Hoover Police Department as a part of its Special Response Team that includes medics, Bentley said.

Etheredge served with the Midfield, Birmingport and Warrior fire departments before joining Hoover in 1996. He was a firefighter and medic in Hoover for six years, a lieutenant for six years, a captain over Station No. 2 off Patton Chapel Road for two years and a battalion chief for seven years. He was the senior ranking battalion chief at the time of his promotion.

He’s intelligent and highly qualified for the job of assistant chief, Bentley said. “He’s doing a phenomenal job.”

“When something’s not going your way and you look up and see him, it’s a great feeling,” Bentley said. “He just has a great way with people … He’s just a common-sense, go-to kind of guy.”

As assistant chief, Etheredge is responsible for running the day-to-day operations of the department, assisting with planning, and taking the lead role when the chief is away, Bentley said.

Etheredge and his wife, Stacey, live in Hayden with their two sons.