Chatham County Fire Marshal Thomas Bender, who is retiring this month, received a special recognition from the Board of Commissioners for more than 26 years of service with Chatham County. He has served as fire marshal much of that time. He is widely known for his fire safety educational outreach to school students and seniors.
In 2018, Governor Cooper appointed Bender to the North Carolina Code Officials Qualification Board, which certifies all Code Enforcement Officials in North Carolina. He also recently served as president of the North Carolina Fire Marshal’s Association.