06/06/2026
It’s hard to believe it’s been ten years since we lost Captain Bradley Long. In some ways it feels like yesterday; in others, it feels like a lifetime. Bradley is still deeply missed every single day, especially around the firehouse. He loved projects, he loved helping, and we can still walk through our stations and point out the handiwork he left behind.
After losing Bradley, one of our biggest questions as a department was: Where do we go from here? We didn’t feel ready to put another diver in the water for recovery operations, but we knew we had to move forward in a way that honored him.
About eight months later, a salesman reached out and asked if we had ever considered using an ROV to assist with dive operations. At the time, ROVs weren’t new technology, but they were almost unheard of in the fire and rescue world. He brought one by for us to look at, and while we were skeptical, we kept an open mind.
In May 2017, we had a live demo on Lake Norman. That was the moment we knew: This is how we move forward. This is how we honor Bradley.
By July 2017, we had our first ROV. Chief Butler and Chief Garris completed a week‑long train‑the‑trainer course to bring the technology home.
Within a week of finishing training, we received our first request, a recovery in Chatham County. A young man had gone missing in an old rock quarry filled with debris, making diving too dangerous. Even with training, we had never operated in water with so many obstacles. It was hot, humid, and pitch dark. We were exhausted and close to calling it a night, but decided to check one last area. That’s where we found the victim and were able to bring closure to his family.
Since then, we’ve assisted counties across the state, many of which have since purchased their own ROVs. Today, there are four ROVs on Lake Norman alone across three agencies.
ROVs can’t replace divers for every situation, but they can keep divers safe by staying topside and when a dive is necessary, the ROV can go in first to survey hazards and act as a watchful eye.
Even now, a decade later, Bradley continues to be a lifesaver. His legacy lives on in every recovery, every family given closure, and every responder kept safe. We will
