Longtime former Hoover fire Chief Bradley remembered as tough, but caring leader

The city of Hoover lost one of its icons Saturday, with the passing of retired longtime Fire Chief Tom Bradley.

Bradley died Saturday afternoon at UAB Hospital. He was 92.

Bradley was hired as Hoover’s fire chief in 1976 and stayed in that role 32 years until retiring in 2009 at the age of 80. He had a total of 60 years in the fire service.

Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato, who served more than 30 years under Bradley’s command when he was in the Hoover Fire Department, said Bradley took a fledgling group of young firefighters and turned them into one of the best trained and most respected fire departments in the state.

During his tenure with Hoover, Bradley grew the Fire Department from 16 firefighters to about 170. In 2004, the city named its main station — Station No. 4 on Municipal Drive — after him.

Former Hoover Fire Marshal Sam Honea once referred to him as the “Bear Bryant of fire service.” The Birmingham Regional Emergency Medical Services System in 2003 named Bradley as one of two recipients of what was then a new Pioneer Award.

Joe Acker, who was executive director of the system at the time, said Bradley displayed tremendous leadership in bringing emergency medical services from the old days of a funeral home ambulance system to full-service ambulance transportation and the integration into fire departments.

Bradley, a World War II Navy veteran, joined the Bessemer Fire Department in 1948 at age 19. He stayed there almost three years before moving to the Birmingham Fire Department, where he worked from 1951 to 1973. He then conducted fire inspections for the Insurance Company of North America before becoming Hoover’s top firefighter.

At Hoover, he brought the department from a Class 7 Insurance Services Office rating to a Class 2 rating, signifying a much higher level of service and resulting in lower insurance premiums for Hoover residents and businesses. The Hoover Fire Department in 2017 was upgraded to Class 1, the highest possible rating.

Bradley, who worked until he was 80, reportedly once told a colleague who was retiring at the age of 62 that it was ridiculous to do so, joking that he still had pimples when he was 62.

He overcame numerous health struggles, battling and beating cancer three times, son Bill Bradley said. He had just finished chemotherapy and been declared cancer-free a couple of weeks ago and said he thought he might live another 10 years, Bill Bradley said. But he called on Dec. 1 with some problems, and Bill took him to UAB Hospital, and they discovered he had developed an infection that was causing problems due to his weakened immune system. Bill Bradley said his father aged about 10 years in 24 hours.

But in his final hours, “he was just so peaceful,” Bill Bradley said. “You could just feel the presence of the Lord when he left.”

Tom Bradley touched many lives over the years, but especially those who served under his command, Brocato said.

Bradley brought a wealth of knowledge and experience with him from Birmingham and molded a very young group of firefighters in Hoover into leaders, Brocato said.

“He was one of the wisest individuals I’ve ever known,” Brocato said. “He trained us, and he mentored us, and he disciplined us when we needed it. … I feel like I’ve lost my second father.”

Bradley was famous for sternly chewing his firefighters out when they needed it, but he more routinely handed out grace than condescension, Brocato said.

Former Hoover City Council President Gene Smith, who worked more than 17 years under Bradley’s command, said his men definitely would hear from him if they made the same mistake twice, but he always stood with people when they got in trouble — on the job or off — and was always forgiving.

“He never held a grudge against anybody,” Smith said.

Bill Bradley said he’s known since he was a child how kind-hearted his father was. When he worked for the Birmingham Fire Department, he encountered a lot of homeless people and sometimes when those people got arrested, his father would go to the Birmingham City Jail to visit them and take Bill with him.

But it has been encouraging to hear so many stories from others — especially firefighters — about how much his dad meant to them and how he looked out for his people, he said.

Because Hoover was still a young city when Bradley came from Birmingham, he also served as a mentor to Hoover mayors over the years, Brocato and Smith said. The mayors often sought Bradley’s advice when making important decisions, Brocato said.

Brocato said it makes him anxious thinking he can no longer call on Bradley for his wisdom, but “I cherish the fact I just talked to him a week before he passed away.”

Smith said it will be hard to imagine life without Bradley. “He’s somebody that’s going to be missed by everybody that ever came in touch with him, especially all those who worked with him.”