Randall Bradley has been named the new Fire Chief for Moraga-Orinda Fire District (MOFD). The MOFD Board of Directors approved the appointment at a Special Meeting held Wednesday, November 4. Bradley, 47, succeeds former Fire Chief Pete Nowicki. Nowicki, who retired in December of 2008, had been serving as acting Fire Chief until a replacement could be named.
"Bradley brings that indefinable quality that says: Leadership. Not just in a 'follow me sense' but in a 'let's do this together,'" said Board President, Pete Wilson. "But, should push come to shove, he can make the decisions that need to be made." Bradley, most recently Deputy Fire Chief of Alameda County Fire Department, began his duties as MOFD Fire Chief on November 5 and will work with Chief Nowicki for the next few weeks to ensure a smooth transition. Nowicki's contract will officially be over on November 18; Wilson noted that Nowicki will be available to Bradley after that date if any questions arise.
"MOFD is a quality department that really cares about the community," said Chief Bradley. "Moraga and Orinda are two wonderful communities and I can't think of a better place to spend the rest of my career."
According to MOFD Board Member, John Wyro, who co-chaired the search for a new chief, Bradley's experience is a good match for the district. Wyro said that Bradley, a 28-year veteran of fire service, has both administrative experience and specialized expertise that meet the needs of MOFD. "Bradley's former responsibilities with Alameda County, and as Fire Chief with the Lawrence Livermore Fire Department before that, have equipped him well to handle the administrative demands of MOFD Fire Chief," he said.
Along with the duties of Deputy Fire Chief, Bradley's experience and education includes: Chairing the National Fire Protection Associations' (NFPA) Technical Committee and serving on the board of the NFPA Wildland Fire Section; serving on a State of California Governor's Blue Ribbon Task Force that is developing a Standards of Cover for Urban-Wildland Interface fires; graduating from UC San Francisco Medical's paramedic training program and the National Fire Academy's Executive Officer Program; and, holding a Master's degree in Public Administration from the University of Southern California.
The hiring of Bradley comes on the heels of some controversy. Public concerns over former Chief Nowicki's pension motivated the Board to address Bradley's future pension options, said Wyro. He said that several controversial items previously used in retirement salary calculations have been changed, such as eliminating the ability to consider uniform allowance or administrative leave as income. The Board of Directors will vote to ratify this contract at the November 18 meeting.
"The District is absolutely listening to the public," said Wyro. "This contract is one of the ways we are responding to concerns of the public in respect to addressing the cost of running the District. We are addressing the retirement system as a whole, so this is not the end of the job, but it is a beginning."
"Bradley brings that indefinable quality that says: Leadership. Not just in a 'follow me sense' but in a 'let's do this together,'" said Board President, Pete Wilson. "But, should push come to shove, he can make the decisions that need to be made." Bradley, most recently Deputy Fire Chief of Alameda County Fire Department, began his duties as MOFD Fire Chief on November 5 and will work with Chief Nowicki for the next few weeks to ensure a smooth transition. Nowicki's contract will officially be over on November 18; Wilson noted that Nowicki will be available to Bradley after that date if any questions arise.
Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA