Staff Deputy Chief Appointed

as OCBP® realigned under Fire Division

 

Captain Charles W. Bowman is sworn in as Staff Deputy Chief

 

For the first time in its 103-year history, the Ocean City Beach patrol will follow a national trend and become a part of an enhanced fire and rescue operation by being reorganized as part of the Fire Department. The new Staff Deputy Chief Charles W. Bowman, in addition to being responsible for the beach patrol, he will oversee all non-fire rescue services, including land and water extrication and confined space emergencies.

The move, city administration said, follows a national trend to integrate rescue operations. "We have to recognize that the fire service is more than a service that deals with fire. This has been going on nationally for more than a dozen years, combining services is a trend. The experience and training of the Fire Department is incredibly diverse".