Kings Mountain Fire Department

06/05/2026

06/04/2026

Official Retirement Day-

Today, we honor Jamie Black, Captain on A Shift and Fire Inspector for the City of Kings Mountain Fire Department.

Help us in congratulating Captain Black on his retirement after many years of dedicated service.

People of Kings Mountain

"I was born at Kings Mountain Hospital, and we lived on Monte Vista Drive just a few blocks from town. I went to West Elementary, and then Central for 6th and 7th grades. Junior High was 8th and 9th grade, and high school was 10th through 12th grade. I graduated in 1984.

"I'm a captain on A Shift and the Fire Inspector for the city. I came in as a firefighter engineer; we were drivers. I was a fire inspector and the assistant chief for 10 years. Then I went back to being a captain, so I'd have more time with my family.

"I got started in firefighting through two neighbors who were firemen. One was full-time, and one was a volunteer. John Wright was full-time, Randy Short was a volunteer, and I just talked to them. Randy was helping me put a door on my house, and we started talking about firefighting. He had a pager on his side, and he said, 'The fire department has some openings. You should consider it.' So, I thought about it.

"I was working at Kings Mountain Auto Supply at the time, and Chief Dickey came out there to pick up some parts. He was a fire chief. He said Randy had mentioned that I was interested, so he said, 'Hey, are you the guy that lives up the street from Randy?' And said, 'Yes, sir., So, he said, 'Well, come on up to the fire station today, and I'll put you on.'

It was that simple.

"Back then, John Henry Moss was the mayor. Chief didn't ask me any questions. He just said, 'Let's go see the mayor.' Well, I knew the mayor. My grandma Moss used to babysit him. So, he said he knew the family well.

"I think I gave my social security number, my driver's license number, and a little sheet of paper. He put it in his desk drawer and told the assistant chief, who was Bud Baird at the time, to find me some gear. He said, 'Just show up when the pager goes off. They'll tell you what to do.'

"I came on in 1985.

"We had a combination station at that time. We had paid staff and volunteers. I was a volunteer for 12 years, and then I got on full-time in ’97. Chief Tignor had retired, and Frank Burns was the fire chief, so I came on under Chief Burns. I've been a firefighter for 41 years, if you count my volunteer time.

"Probably the first big fire I experienced was the Margrace Mill fire. It's probably the biggest. At the time, I was a volunteer. We've had a lot of fires since then, but that was probably one of the biggest to make headlines. I was full-time when the King Street fires happened. Two houses burned on King Street due to arson.

"Some of my best memories in firefighting are probably helping people. We did Toys for Tots back when Chief Tignor was chief, and then Chief Burns took over, so all the firemen would try to fix two bicycles each. We would fix two bicycles, then deliver them to the kids.

"Yeah, Christmas, that's a good memory.

"I can remember when I was hired as the fire inspector, I had to put together a list of all the businesses, and we still had 13 or 14 mills running back in those days. So, I got to experience the mill era. We had a lot of fires in the textile mills … a lot of bad fires.

"What I will miss most after I retire is the camaraderie, the table, and the talks. We kind of take care of ourselves, you know. We clown around, that's what we do to help each other out, you know?

"I'm going to miss that most. That's my second family, you know?

"I'll come back to visit, and drink coffee with TJ and the chief, you can bet that."

-- Jamie Black, Captain on A Shift and Fire Inspector for the City of Kings Mountain

Kings Mountain Fire Department's mission is to serve and protect our community with unwavering integrity and accountability, fostering a culture of loyalty and teamwork. Striving to uphold the highest standard of humility in our service, ensuring that every action we take reflects our commitment to safety, compassion, and excellence.

05/28/2026

The Kings Mountain Fire Department is pleased to announce that “KM Tower 2” has officially been placed into service.

Yesterday afternoon, Lt. Trevor Mashburn made the official “in service” radio transmission to Cleveland County Communications, while Engineer Jacob Pearson completed the corresponding notification for Gaston County Communications.

The Kings Mountain Fire Department extends its sincere appreciation to the City Council, Administration, and our community for your continued support and commitment to public safety. Your investment helps ensure our firefighters have the tools and equipment needed to serve and protect at the highest level.

05/07/2026

A new addition has arrived for the Kings Mountain Fire Department fleet.

On Monday, May 4, 2026, the department officially took possession of its new Ferrara 100' Mid Mount Ladder Truck — a long-awaited apparatus that will further enhance emergency response capabilities and service to our community. Once placed into service, “KM Tower 2” will be housed at Station 2, located at 1207 Shelby Road.

The Kings Mountain Fire Department extends its sincere appreciation to the City Council, Administration, and our community for your continued support and commitment to public safety. Your investment helps ensure our firefighters have the tools and equipment needed to serve and protect at the highest level.

04/28/2026

The Kings Mountain Fire Department responded to a reported structure fire at the Bolin Day Care Center at approximately 5:11 p.m. this evening.

Upon arrival, all children and staff had safely evacuated the building, and no injuries were reported.

The fire has been successfully extinguished and remains under active investigation at this time.

The Kings Mountain Fire Department extends its sincere appreciation to the following agencies for their assistance and support during this incident:

Kings Mountain Police Department
Kings Mountain Electric Department
Bethlehem Volunteer Fire Dept
Oak Grove Volunteer Fire Department
Cleveland County EMS

04/28/2026

The Kings Mountain Fire Department proudly congratulates the City of Kings Mountain’s Public Information Officer, Gabriel Thomas, on earning his certification as a Public Safety Chaplain through the Emergency Chaplains organization. He started his journey in January of 2025.

The Public Safety Chaplain Program offers emotional and spiritual support to the community and first responders during emergency incidents, and to firefighters, police officers and EMS facing crises, ensuring that no one faces these challenges alone.

With gratitude, we thank Gabe and all of the other chaplains for their important role in supporting their community and its first responders during times of crisis. Your service never goes unnoticed.

-Chief Main

04/22/2026

Exciting News from the Kings Mountain Fire Department!

We are pleased to announce that the Kings Mountain Fire Department is launching a new platform for our community— Community Connect.

This important tool empowers our citizens to help us better serve you. By providing key information in advance, you can assist our first responders in being fully prepared should an emergency ever arise.

We encourage you not to wait— take a few moments to complete your information and help us enhance the safety and effectiveness of our response efforts.

The video below provides an overview of Community Connect, and we will continue to share additional details in the days ahead.

Together, we can build a safer, more connected community.

Sign up here: https://www.communityconnect.io/info/nc-kingsmountaincity

04/15/2026

With little rainfall or improvement expected over the next 7-10 days, the statewide burn ban and enforcement action will continue until further notice.

Since the state-issued ban on open burning was enacted March 28, a total of 554 wildfires has burned more than 2,200 acres across the state. With little rainfall or improvement expected over the next 7-10 days, the statewide burn ban and enforcement action will continue until further notice.

Of the 554 wildfires that have burned since the burn ban took effect, only four have been determined to be the result of lightning strikes. Preliminary data indicates that 152 of those 554 wildfires were determined to be human caused, with the remainder listed as unknown or undetermined, likely pending law enforcement investigation and action. Since the state’s burn ban took effect, 150 citations have been issued for illegal burning.

During a state-issued burn ban, the same N.C. Forest Service personnel providing initial and extended attack for wildfire response are providing the necessary enforcement action to support the ban on open burning. Reducing the number of new ignitions is critical for sustaining adequate resource availability for an extended period, making state-issued bans a necessary tool for keeping wildfires contained and as small as possible until fully extinguished.

The public is urged to abide by the burn ban and to use extreme caution with farm equipment, machines, mowers, vehicles on dry grass, smoking materials such as ci******es, anything that can throw a spark. In current high-risk conditions, these could be a possible fire source. While not classified as open burning and not affected by the state’s ban on open burning, they are still contributors to new fire starts across the state.

Read news release: https://www.ncagr.gov/news/press-releases/2026/04/14/statewide-burn-ban-and-enforcement-continue-dry-conditions-persist

04/06/2026

Please be aware.

Due to increased wildfire risk, the N.C. Forest Service has issued a ban on all open burning and has canceled all burning permits statewide effective 6 p.m. Saturday, March 28 until further notice.

Under North Carolina law, the ban prohibits all open burning in the affected counties, regardless of whether a permit was previously issued. The issuance of any new permits has also been suspended until the ban is lifted. Anyone violating the burn ban faces a $100 fine plus $183 court costs. Any person responsible for setting a fire may be liable for any expenses related to extinguishing the fire.

The burn ban does not apply to fires started within 100 feet of an occupied dwelling. The local fire marshal has authority to issue a burn ban within those 100 feet.

Read news release: https://www.ncagr.gov/news/press-releases/2026/03/28/statewide-burn-ban-issued-north-carolina-due-hazardous-forest-fire-conditions

03/28/2026

Effective Saturday, March 28 at 8 a.m., the National Weather Service has issued a ** 🚩🚩RED FLAG WARNING🚩🚩** for some North Carolina counties. For counties that aren’t under a red flag, fire danger is still critical. Review weather alerts for North Carolina at weather.gov.

A red flag warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now or will shortly. A combination of strong winds, low relative humidity and warm temperatures will create dangerous fire behavior.

While open burning is permitted during a red flag, it is NOT advised. Please postpone ALL outdoor burning. If there was ever a time to show you can follow instructions the first time they are given, it’s now.

Careless debris burning is the leading cause of wildfires in North Carolina, and you are our best defense against wildfire. For wildfire readiness and prevention tips: preventwildfirenc.org