Dalton Fire Department Promotes Ten Firefighters
Tuesday, March 17th, 2026
The Dalton Fire Department rewarded ten long-serving members with promotions on Tuesday as the agency moved to fill vacancies left by firefighter retirements. The promotions were made announced during Tuesday morning's meeting of the Dalton Public Safety Commission.
"What we have here in front of us is a reflection of three retirements, creating ten promotions. So, we have over 85 years of experience retired, replaced by 130, 140-plus years' experience," said Fire Chief Matt Daniel. "Most, if not all of these promotions were known four to six months in advance to allow these gentlemen to prepare for their job, and now it’s time for them to be recognized for their accomplishments and to step into that role in an official capacity."
Caption: (left to right) Newly promoted DFD Battalion Chiefs Damion Epps and Jason Harris, Captains Scott Brock and Mike Sloan, Lieutenants Andy Brock, Casey Jones, and Josh Peek, and Engineers Andrew Carlson, Tyler Higgins, and Jake Warnix pose at the meeting of the Dalton Public Safety Commission
Captains Damion Epps and Jason Harris were both promoted to the rank of battalion chief. Chief Epps steps into the vacancy left by the recent retirement of Battalion Chief Brandon Bray. Epps is a United States Army veteran and joined the fire department in 1999. He steadily rose through the ranks, earning his promotion to captain in the summer of 2019. Chief Harris is being promoted to succeed Battalion Chief Alan Ridley who will retire soon. Harris joined the department in February 1998. He's a member of the department's Special Operations Team and is the lead instructor for the surface water rescue program.
Lieutenants Scott Brock and Mike Sloan were promoted to the rank of captain to fill the vacancies left by Epps and Harris. Captain Brock joined the fire department in the winter of 1998, and he has been in supervision as an officer for 14 years. Captain Sloan joined in 1999 and became a shift lieutenant in 2010. He's a member of the Special Operations Team and also a Georgia Smoke Diver.
Engineers Andy Brock, Casey Jones, and Josh Peek each earned their promotion to the rank of lieutenant. Lieutenants Brock and Jones will fill the vacancies left by the promotions of Captain Brock and Captain Sloan, while Lt. Peek will succeed the retired Lt. Steve Bennett. Lt. Brock has been a member of the fire department for fifteen years and became an engineer in January 2017. Since then, he has served as an acting officer on many occasions and has earned the respect of his peers with his performance. Lt. Jones joined the department in 2013 after beginning his career with the Valdosta Fire Department. He has also become an informal leader for his shift before moving into the officer ranks. Lt. Peek joined the fire department in 2008 and moved up to engineer in 2015. He's also gained experience serving as the acting officer-in-charge and serves on the Special Operations Team. He's a graduate of the Georgia FLAMES (Firefighters Laboring And Mastering Essential SKills) program.
Finally, Firefighters Andrew Carlson, Tyler Higgins, and Jake Warnix each moved up to the rank of engineer. Engineer Carlson has been with the agency since the summer of 2017, joining after completing his career as a collegiate swimmer at Ball State University where he earned his degree in exercise science. He's put his degree to work as a physical fitness instructor for the department's recruit school, and he has also earned a role on the department's Special Operations Team. He's a FLAMES and Georgia Smoke Diver graduate. Engineer Higgins joined the fire department in the summer of 2015 following his graduation from Northwest Whitfield and studying at North Georgia College and State University. He's a graduate of the Georgia Smoke Diver program. Engineer Warnix is the least tenured of the group, having joined the fire department in the summer of 2020. He's been around the fire service his entire life, however, as the son of a former Whitfield County Fire Department battalion chief. He is an emergency medical technician and a member of the department's Special Operations Team.
