Cherokee County Fire And Emergency Services: Road Named After Former Fire Chief Who Served The Citizens Well In Public Safety

Press release from the Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services:

March 12, 2021

A former fire chief was honored yesterday for his longtime support of the community and Holly Springs Fire Department.  Officials from the City of Holly Springs and Chiefs and firefighters with Cherokee County Fire & Emergency Services recognized Henry (Pat) Patrick by naming the road going into Fire Station #8 the Henry Patrick Drive during ceremonies held yesterday afternoon. Patrick setup the Holly Springs Fire Department in 1977 and remained as the Fire Chief until 1996.  “It took us a long time to get a fire station.  We bought a little building over on the corner where the old Barber Shop and Post office used to be and we paid $700 for it,” stated Patrick. Cherokee County Fire Chief, Tim Prather, said “Chief Pat Patrick was the Volunteer Chief of Holly Springs for several years and served as the Chairman of the County Fire Chief’s Association.  Although I never really had the opportunity to work with him directly because of my time in the South end of the county, I remember hearing Chief Patrick run calls when he was active in the fire service.  He was a highly respected Chief among our fire services and did a great job in leading the volunteer organizations.  He was part of the group that basically paved the way to today’s fire service.  I greatly appreciate Chief Patrick’s service to Cherokee County. It is befitting to name a street in Holly Spring in honor of his service to the City of Holly Spring and Cherokee County. Thank you, Chief Patrick, for a “job well done!” The 89-year-old Patrick retired from active duty in the Air Force as a Chief Master Sergeant.  He went from there to Lockheed for a year and served as the plant fire marshal and manager of their fire department and then Patrick went back into the Air Force as the Deputy Chief of Fire Protection for the Strategic Air Command.  Patrick was eventually moved to the Pentagon where he worked in Air Force Fire Protection for five years. Patrick worked in the fire service for years from a national level to working on developing a fire station here locally.  “Chief Patrick served the citizens for over 49 years, not only as a firefighter but also a proud Vietnam veteran! The world needs more heroes like him,” added Assistant Fire Chief, Eddie Robinson. After the ceremony, Patrick was asked what he thought about having a road named after him.  According to Patrick, “I was shocked and I’m just elated that the folks here still remember me.” Our sincere thanks to Pat Patrick for his service to his country and for his dedication in public service to the citizens of Cherokee County.

This press release was produced by the Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services. The views expressed here are the author’s own.