Staff report

KANNAPOLIS — Kannapolis Fire Chief Tracy Winecoff has announced the promotion of four firefighters. Captain Timothy (T.J.) Cook has been promoted to the rank of battalion chief, and Engineer Tyler O’Brien has been promoted to the rank of captain. Firefighters Brandon Glosson and Thomas Aube have been promoted to engineer.

Captains supervise the firefighters on shift, coordinate any needed incident response and manage the operations of their assigned fire station. Engineers have the skills and certifications to drive and operate fire trucks and apparatus.

Battalion Chief Timothy (T.J.) Cook began his career in firefighting with the city of Salisbury, and he joined Kannapolis in 2000. He was promoted to captain in 2006. He is certified as a firefighter III, a hazardous waste technician and a Level II instructor.

He graduated from Columbia Southern University with a bachelor’s degree in fire administration and a master of science in emergency services management. As a battalion chief, he is responsible for planning, organizing, directing and supervising personnel on their assigned shifts. That includes the training activities and incident command of major emergency incidents.

He and his wife, Alisha, live in Rockwell and have five children.

Tyler O’Brien Sr. is now a captain at Fire Station One. He has been with the department for almost nine years. His interest in firefighting began when he joined the department’s Explorer program in high school. He has a bachelor of science in fire administration from Fayetteville State University. He is married to Ally.

Thomas Aube is a second-generation Kannapolis firefighter, and he also participated in the Kannapolis Fire Explorers program when he was in high school. He has been with the city for five years and is assigned to Fire Station 2. He also volunteers with the Locke Township Fire Department. He has two sons, Beau and Brooks.

Brandon Glosson joined the department in 2017 and is working on an associate degree in fire technology at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College. He is assigned to Station 4. He and his fiancé have a daughter.