City of Kannapolis Fire Department Personnel Promoted > City of Kannapolis | City of Kannapolis

News Articles

Hunter Brantley, Jake Chambers, Jonathan McCaskill

The City of Kannapolis Fire Department is pleased to announce the promotion of three firefighters, Hunter Brantley, Jake Chambers, and Jonathan McCaskill to the position of Captain and three firefighters, Zach Austin, Tyler Karriker and Chase Abernathy, to the position of Engineer. Additionally, the department welcomes Gabriel Cubas, who has completed his training to become a firefighter.

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.

Hunter grew up in Kannapolis and was a member of the Kannapolis Fire Explorer program when he was a teenager. His father, Jimmy, formerly served as a volunteer and career firefighter for the City before he retired. Hunter joined the department nine years ago. He is assigned to Station 3 (Concord Lake Road).

Jake’s love of firefighting was also inherited from his father who was a volunteer firefighter. He has been with the Kannapolis Fire Department for eight years and has a total of 24 years of firefighting experience. He is also a volunteer firefighter with Granite Quarry Fire Department. He and his wife have two children and live in Salisbury. Jake is assigned to Station 5 (Barr Road).

Jonathan joined the Kannapolis Fire Department in 2016 and he has a total of 22 years as a firefighter. He previously worked for the Salisbury Fire Department, and he specializes in hazardous materials response. He enjoys spending time outdoors and playing sports with his wife and children. Jonathan is assigned to Station 1 (Firehouse Drive).

Chase Abernathy has been a Kannapolis firefighter for ten years. Prior to joining the department, he was a volunteer firefighter. He also serves in the National Guard. His free time is spent with his wife and children enjoying a variety of activities. He is assigned to Station 2 (Richard Avenue).

Zach Austin is a native of Union County, and his father was also a firefighter. He has over ten years of experience as a firefighter – five with Kannapolis Fire. He is assigned to Station 4 (Stewart Street).

Tyler has eight years of firefighting service and has been with Kannapolis Fire since 2016. He serves as a volunteer with the Atwell Fire Department and the Rowan County Rescue Squad. He and his family enjoy hiking and the outdoors. He is assigned to Station 2 (Richard Avenue).

Gabriel Cubas was born in Miami and moved to North Carolina two years ago. He is a certified paramedic and has served as a volunteer firefighter and a volunteer at Atwell Fire Department. His hobby is skydiving – he just completed his 70th jump. He is assigned to Station 2 (Richard Avenue).