The City of Hickory Fire Department announced the retirement of Fire Apparatus Operator Thomas Oxentine, who joined the department on Feb. 1, 2007, and served as both a senior firefighter and fire apparatus operator. Before Hickory, he served as a firefighter/engineer with the Valdese Fire Department, where the city says he still serves as a lieutenant. Oxentine holds North Carolina Fire and Rescue Commission certifications including Level II Firefighter, Driver Operator, Rapid Intervention Technician, Technical Rescuer, and Fire and Life Safety Educator Level I, plus Fire Officer Levels I–III and Advanced EMT credentials. The department thanked him for nearly two decades of service to Hickory.
Source: City of Hickory, September 1, 2026
Original: https://www.hickorync.gov/hickory-fire-department-announces-oxentines-retirement
