Hoover Fire Department

10/14/2026

The Hoover Fire Department enjoyed spending time with Leadership Hoover and IGNITE Hoover Youth Leadership during Public Safety Day!

We appreciated the opportunity to provide a behind-the-scenes look at our daily operations, training, and mission. Connecting with current and future community leaders is always a rewarding experience, and we are grateful for the opportunity to share our passion for serving and protecting Hoover.

Thank you, Leadership Hoover and IGNITE Hoover Youth Leadership, for spending time with us yesterday! We enjoyed having you!

10/09/2026

10/02/2026

Please join us in congratulating Battalion Chief Scott Williamson on his recent retirement.

Chief Williamson began his career with the Centerpoint Fire District in 1996 where he spent 2 years. He also worked at the Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service Department from 1997-1999 and at Warrior Fire Department from 1998 to 1999. He was hired at the Hoover Fire Department in 1999 and was assigned to Station 7 and Station 4. In 2005 he was promoted to Lieutenant and served at Stations 1, 3, 4, 5, and 8. In 2017 he was promoted to Captain and served at Stations 5, 9, and 10, and at Station 7 as a District Captain in District 3. In 2023 he was promoted to Battalion Chief, and assigned to Battalion 1.

Since the day he was hired, Chief Williamson has set the example for how a firefighter should conduct himself. He is a great mentor and leader, and this department will greatly miss him.

Chief Williamson, thank you for your service to the citizens of Hoover and to all Hoover Firefighters. Congratulations on your retirement and enjoy it. You've earned it.

10/02/2026

Please join us in congratulating Battalion Chief and Fire Marshal Mark Thornton on his recent retirement.

Chief Thornton began his fire service career as a volunteer with the Clanton Fire Department in 1999. He then worked with the Prattville Fire Department from 2000-2003. In 2003, he joined the Hoover Fire Department, working part-time until 2005, when he was hired full-time and assigned to Station 2.

In 2009, he was promoted to Lieutenant and assigned to Station 4, where he served on Engine 4 and Truck 4. In 2013, he was promoted to Captain at Station 4, and in 2019, he was promoted to Battalion Chief and assigned to Battalion 1. Finally, in May 2020, Chief Thornton moved to the Fire Prevention Division, serving as Division Chief and Fire Marshal.

Throughout his career, Chief Thornton has been known as a calm, steady, and dependable leader who goes above and beyond to serve the citizens and his fellow firefighters in any way he can.

Chief Thornton, thank you for your 27 years of dedication to the fire service and 24 years of exemplary service to the citizens of Hoover. Congratulations and enjoy retirement!

10/01/2026

Yesterday, we were proud to honor our 2025 Firefighter of the Year, John McClung, and our 2025 Paramedics of the Year, Trent Sharp and Joey Mollica, at the Annual Shelby County Chamber of Commerce Public Safety Awards Luncheon.

We are incredibly proud of John, Trent, and Joey for their hard work, professionalism, and unwavering dedication to serving the City of Hoover and our community.

Thank you to The Shelby County Chamber for hosting, and to Galactic Employer Services, UAB St. Vincent’s and Turner Promotions for sponsoring the event and helping recognize our area’s outstanding public safety professionals.

Congratulations, John, Trent, and Joey, on this well-deserved recognition!

09/21/2026

Last week, the Hoover Fire Department hosted a Surface and Swift Water Rescue Technician class. Members from the Hoover Fire Department, Birmingham Fire and Rescue, and the Homewood Fire Department attended.

This class provides the knowledge and skills needed to perform water rescues, which can be highly technical and demanding operations. We especially want to thank the ALEA Aviation Unit for coming out, showcasing their rescue capabilities, and assisting with pickoff operations during the class!

09/17/2026

Apparently, maneuvering emergency vehicles through the Riverchase Galleria is becoming a Hoover first responder tradition. 😂

After seeing Hoover Police carefully navigate a patrol car through the Galleria recently, we knew we had the perfect .

Because last year, Hoover Fire Department had a slightly different challenge: maneuvering a VINTAGE FIRE TRUCK through the Galleria for the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb. 🚒

🚓 Police car? Nicely done.
🚒 Vintage fire truck? We’ll just leave this here. 👀

Hoover (AL) Police Department

09/14/2026

On Saturday, September 12, the Hoover Fire Department was honored to host the annual 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony and Stair Climb.

Participants climbed in memory of the first responders who made the ultimate sacrifice on September 11, 2001, each carrying the name and photo of a fallen hero.

Thank you to everyone who joined us in honoring their service and sacrifice. We are proud to continue this tradition each year and ensure their legacy is never forgotten.

We will never forget.

09/11/2026

Twenty five years.

For a quarter century we have carried September 11, 2001 with us, the 2,977 lives taken, the 343 members of the FDNY, the 72 law enforcement officers, and the dispatchers who stayed on the line until the very end.

Today, coins and patches from Hoover Fire Department, Hoover Police Department, and Hoover 911 Emergency Communications rest at the 9/11 Memorial in New York. They are small things. But they carry something big: a promise from Hoover, Alabama that the men and women who climbed those stairs will not be forgotten.

The people lost that morning belonged to departments like ours. They answered calls like ours. They wore patches like ours.
And the loss did not end that day. More FDNY members have now died from 9/11 related illness than were killed on September 11 itself. The same is true across law enforcement. We remember them too.

We leave a piece of Hoover here so that it stands watch alongside them.
We remember. We honor. We will never forget.