City honors longtime fire chief

A casket covered in an American flag sat at the front of the sanctuary inside Homewood Church of Christ early Wednesday afternoon.

It held the body of John Alan Bresnan, Homewood’s longtime fire chief who passed away unexpectedly last Friday while on duty. 

He was 58. 

"He was a guy's guy. He was a firefighter's chief,” Mayor Scott McBrayer said. “He knew exactly what the men and women of Homewood Fire Department needed in order to do their jobs."

Family, friends, coworkers, municipal leaders and firefighters from across Alabama attended Wednesday’s funeral. Fire trucks representing those statewide departments surrounded the church as Chris Hodges, pastor at Church of the Highlands, led the service. 

After an honor guard presentation and opening prayer, Bresnan’s daughter, Lexi, sang “Amazing Grace.” Then, she and others close to her father spoke about his life and legacy. 

Billy Hewitt, a retired 43-year veteran of Alabama’s fire service, stepped to the podium first. He said he met Bresnan 25 years ago, and the two became best friends. Hewitt highlighted Bresnan’s love of Jimmy Buffet, storytelling, Homewood and its fire department. 

“He loved being chief. He loved his friends. He loved telling stories—so many stories, so many memories,” Hewitt said. “I was looking forward to spending John's retirement and mine going down that bucket list with him. I'm going to miss him. My wish for each of you is that sometime in your life you could find a friend like I found in Chief John Bresnan."

Bresnan’s stepson, Kyle Raburn, followed Hewitt at the microphone. He said Bresnan entered his life at age 4 and set an example for him to follow. Bresnan prioritized others, spread joy and lived in the moment, Raburn said. One day he hopes to become the man and father that Bresnan was to him. 

"I've never met a single person who didn't like John,” Raburn said. “He didn't talk politics. He didn't gossip. He just lived and loved."

Lexi Bresnan delivered her remarks after retired Hoover firefighter Rusty Lowe read an honorary poem. She said her father walked in humility, and she reminisced on time spent with him over the last year. 

“Nothing was impossible for my dad,” she said. “I could have asked for the moon, and he would get it." 

Another worship song and a message from Hodges followed Lexi Bresnan’s comments. The service concluded with two rituals characteristic of a firefighter funeral service: a Bell Ceremony and Final Call.

Bresnan’s casket was then rolled out of the church, loaded into the back of a Homewood fire truck and taken to Jefferson Memorial Gardens in Trussville. 

Bresnan joined the Homewood Fire Department in 1987 and became chief in 1992. He was the state's longest-serving fire chief at the time of his death. On Tuesday, he laid in state at Homewood City Hall. 

“That’s the first time it’s happened at our City Hall,” McBrayer said, “but I wanted to honor him like that.” 

McBrayer began working with Bresnan when he joined the City Council in 2000. McBrayer said he will remember his longtime colleague for his kindness and intelligence. 

"He wasn't just a department head,” McBrayer said. “He was a good friend. We're going to miss him.”