The City of Kannapolis Fire Department announces the promotions of several staff members and welcomes two new firefighters to the department.
T.J. Cook will now serve as an Assistant Chief. He was previously serving as a Battalion Chief in the department. T.J.’s career in firefighting began in 1996 when he joined the Salisbury Fire Department. He has been with the Kannapolis Fire Department for 24 years. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Fire Administration and a Master of Science degree in Emergency Services Management from Columbia Southern University.
He and his wife, Alisha, have five children.
Chris Morris is promoted from Captain to Battalion Chief. Chris joined the department in 2008 and has a total of 26 years in the fire service. He was promoted to Engineer in 2011 and to Captain in 2013. He and his wife, Megan, have three children.
Jeremi Carter and Clay Sellers will now serve as Captains after being promoted from the role of Engineers.
Jeremi has been with the department since 2016 and has a total of 20 years of firefighting experience. He has associate degrees in emergency management and fire protection technology from Rowan Cabarrus Community College and a bachelor's degree in fire and emergency services administration from Fayetteville State University.
Clay Sellers began working for Kannapolis Fire 16 years ago. He and his wife, Hannah, have two children.
Corey Cox and Bubba McLaughlin will move up from serving as firefighters and are now Engineers.
Corey Cox has been with Kannapolis Fire since 2018. He and his wife, Alex, have one son. Bubba McLaughlin joined Kannapolis Fire in 2021. He is married to Megan. Both Bubba and Corey are volunteers with the Atwell Volunteer Fire Department.
The department welcomes Brad Harrington and Blake Thomas as firefighters.
Brad Harrington has two years of firefighting experience and served in the U.S. Army. He is married and has one child.
Blake Thomas previously worked for the Town of Mooresville Fire and Rescue Department and has been a volunteer for the Mt. Pleasant Fire Department. He has one child.