Pender County Commissioners appoint Tommy Batson as Emergency Management Director
BURGAW – Pender County Commissioners appointed Tommy Batson as emergency management director. Batson, a native of Pender County, started his public service career more than 24 years ago as a volunteer firefighter. More than 18 years ago, Batson started his first employment opportunity in Pender County as a part-time telecommunicator in the Sheriff’s Office 911 center. Most recently he has served as the county’s fire marshal and assistant emergency management director.
During his years of service, Batson earned numerous certifications, including NC Level III Fire Inspector, NC Fire Instructor II, NC Certified Fire Investigator, NCEM Executive Coordinator, NC Type III All-Hazard Incident Management Team-Planning Section Chief, and Operations Section Chief and Liaison Officer. In his years of emergency services, Batson has received three Life Saving Awards for saving six people in three different events.
“We are pleased to appoint Tommy Batson as our new Emergency Management Director,” said George Brown, chairman of the Pender County Board of Commissioners. “Tommy is one of the few people in the county who has served our community during every major event since Hurricane Fran.”
Brown said Batson is an experienced leader who has served Pender County through difficult storms as well as the recovery process. During Hurricane Florence Batson served in the Emergency Operations Center for 42 straight days.
“I look forward to continuing my service in Pender County in the role of emergency management director,” said Batson.
“As I take over as Director for Pender County Emergency Management, I plan to maintain and improve the capability of the department in successfully working relationships to prepare for, respond to, and mitigate from all-hazards related emergencies and disasters,” said Batson.
Fire prevention and education continue to be Batson’s commitment to public safety. He said this starts with plan reviews, continuing with scheduled fire code inspections and investigations.
Batson’s transition to emergency director went into effect on March 28.