— Information courtesy of Granville County Public Information Officer Terry Hobgood
Zane Patterson has been named the first Fire Commission Administrator for Granville County. Patterson enters this new role to work in the Emergency Management Department to work with the Granville County Fire Commission, which oversees the Fire Protection Service District that was established in 2022, in collaboration with the 14 fire departments that serve Granville County residents. With more than 12 years of experience in fire services and numerous fire inspection and safety certifications to the job, the newly created position will help provide long-term financial stability of the county’s fire services and ensure residents have adequate fire protection, regardless of where they live, according to information from Granville County Public Information Officer Terry Hobgood.
Patterson joins Granville County after most recently serving as Vance County fire marshal. Before coming to Vance County, he worked as a Franklin County deputy fire marshal, a captain with the Henderson Fire Department, and as a part-time firefighter and driver operator with the Vance County Fire Department. Patterson has also been a member of the Cokesbury Volunteer Fire Department since 2014, where he has served in the leadership roles of assistant chief and member of the board of directors.
Patterson has also received numerous fire inspection and safety certifications from the State of North Carolina, including Fire Instructor, Fire and Life Safety Educator (FLSE), Fire/Arson Investigator, Fire Inspector, Fire Officer and Child Passenger Safety Technician.
“The best part of my job is working with the local volunteer fire departments,” said Patterson. “I was very excited to find an opportunity where my focus would be supporting these departments that often can be neglected. As a volunteer myself, my goal in this position is to give back to the fire services that have given so much to me.“
A native of the Cokesbury community in Vance County, Patterson is a 2016 graduate of J.F. Webb High School. He married his wife, Mackenzie, in 2020. They have three children: Daisy (3), Ellie Mae (20 months), and Voddie Mack (1 month).
Patterson also serves as the pastor of Unity Baptist Church in the Bearpond community. He attended Wake Technical Community College and is currently enrolled at Boyce College at the Southern Baptist Seminary in the Biblical and Theological Studies bachelor’s program.
