Deputy Fire Chief Bradford S. Smith, a senior member of APCO International and longstanding member of the Atlantic APCO Chapter, passed away in the early morning on April 1 after waging a short, but aggressive battle against cancer. He was 56.
Deputy Chief Smith dedicated nearly 40 years of his professional career to public safety for the benefit of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and his profession nationally. He started as an emergency medical technician in Newton in 1981, accepted a firefighter position in 1988; was promoted to lieutenant in 1999, and captain in 2016 of the Framingham Fire Department. Smith was credentialed in multiple disciplines for the Department of Homeland Security FEMA US&R system and was deployed as a member of MA TF 1 following the World Trade Center attack in 2001 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
He has supported the advancement of public safety communications standards since 2006 through service on various subcommittees and writing groups for the APCO Standards Development Committee. He also served on APCO Project 43, and has contributed immensely to the education and training of fellow professionals as an APCO adjunct instructor.
APCO offers its heartfelt condolences to his fiancé and fellow APCO Atlantic Chapter member, Carmella Kall, and the entire Smith family.
