Fire Department Promotes New Engineer

Tuesday, September 26th, 2023

More than nine years of hard work and experience paved the way for a promotion for a Dalton firefighter Tuesday morning. Firefighter Gabe Shupe's promotion to the rank of engineer was confirmed by a unanimous vote of the Public Safety Commission Tuesday morning. Shupe's promotion fills a vacancy left by the retirement of Engineer Hector Chiesa from the department. 

Caption: Engineer Gabe Shupe (right) poses with Interim Fire Chief Mike Russell after having his promotion confirmed on Tuesday morning

Shupe joined the fire department in the summer of 2014. He's a member of the department's Special Operations Team and holds numerous technician-level certifications for techinical rescue and hazardous materials response. Interim Fire Chief Mike Russell pointed out on Tuesday morning that Shupe also is one of the department's top ropes instructors and frequently works at the shift level to train his fellow firefighters on various disciplines and topics. Shupe is also a graduate of the grueling and prestigious Georgia Smoke Divers training program. 

Engineer Shupe is a 2002 graduate of Northwest Whitfield High School.