By Donald Wittkowski
Rookie firefighter Robert Hart’s very first day on the job in 1954 coincided with the grand opening of the then-new Ocean City firehouse on the corner of 29th Street and West Avenue.
He didn’t rush out to battle any fires on that day while working the midnight shift, but he did experience the excitement of receiving his first two-week paycheck for what was then his $3,100 annual salary.
“I got a paycheck, a meal and a nap – all on the first day,” Hart recalled, laughing.
On Wednesday, the now 84-year-old Hart returned to 29th and West. Instead of giving him a paycheck, the Ocean City Fire Department handed him an oversized pair of scissors. Hart used them to snip the ceremonial ribbon during another grand opening, for a new $2.1 million firehouse that replaces the one where he used to work.
“It’s a lot more elaborate. It’s much better-built,” Hart said, comparing the new one to its nondescript predecessor.
Hart rose to become the fire department’s chief for eight years before retiring in 1984. He was the guest of honor during a community celebration to mark the new firehouse’s splashy public debut.
“It was very satisfying. I felt some real emotion,” Hart said. “I love this town. I have my family in this town. This town has always been good to me.”
Hart was joined by city dignitaries and hundreds of people from the community during the family-friendly grand opening and open house. Children got to meet the firefighters, sit at the wheel of a fire truck and shoot water from a fire hose while pretending to battle a blaze.
“It was really awesome,” said 6-year-old Chase Grilli, of Fox Chase, Pa., after he sprayed the fire hose with help from Ocean City firefighter Bill Wasekanes.
Dan and Michelle Brooks, summer vacationers from Honey Brook, Pa., brought their entire family to the grand opening. Their children include daughters Kelsey, 15, and Gabriella, 6, and sons Austin, 12, Ethan, 5, and Carter, 2.
Dan Brooks is a firefighter in Honey Brook. His brother, Jason Brooks, is a firefighter for the Twin Valley Fire Department in Morgantown, Pa. Jason Brooks’ 16-year-old daughter, Michaela, is a junior firefighter in Morgantown.
Emulating his father, Austin Brooks said he would like to become the next firefighter in the family when he grows up.
“He can join me in a few years,” Dan Brooks said of his son.
Austin marveled at a shiny, red Ocean City fire truck parked outside the new firehouse.
“It’s cool,” he exclaimed. “I really like the fire truck.”
In remarks during the grand opening, Ocean City Fire Chief Jim Smith said the new firehouse represents a major part of the community, so it was only fitting for the fire department to hold an open house for the public.
Smith noted that some of the children who attended the ceremony may be inspired to fulfill their “dream” of becoming firefighters someday.
“It’s a great place for grown-ups to bring their kids and live out that dream,” he said.
The new firehouse, centrally located in town, joins the city’s existing fire headquarters on Sixth Street in the northern part of the island and another fire station on 45th Street in the south end.
Mayor Jay Gillian emphasized that the firehouse will serve as a new centerpiece of Ocean City’s public safety.
“It’s like an insurance policy. You hope you never need it, but when you do, you want to have the best,” Gillian said.
The facility will be manned 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It has living quarters for the firefighters on the second floor, including a sleeping area and a kitchen stocked with a stove, refrigerator and microwave oven.
Although the building is an ultra-modern firefighting facility, its architecture evokes a bygone era. A redbrick façade, mixed with beige and teal flourishes, is reminiscent of the 19th century. Its big, glass bay doors and decorative awnings also have an old-fashioned look.
The firehouse offers a dramatic contrast to its grim, cinderblock predecessor that stood on the same spot for more than 60 years before it was finally demolished last fall to make room for its replacement.
However, the new building pays tribute to the old firehouse by incorporating its 1954 cornerstone in the façade. Embedded just above it is a 2017 cornerstone.
Already antiquated, the old firehouse was battered by Hurricane Sandy’s flood waters in October 2012. The flooding ruined the living quarters for the firefighters who worked there, but the rest of the building remained in use for nearly four more years. It was swamped again in January 2016 by flooding from the powerful coastal storm Jonas.
The city’s engineer and the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration condemned the old building in April 2016 after large cracks were discovered in the walls. However, the walls were strengthened to allow the old firehouse to continue operating through the busy summer tourism season in 2016 to avoid any interruptions to emergency service.
As protection from flooding, the new firehouse was built on top of about 100 support piles to elevate it. The building has been designed to withstand the Jersey Shore’s notorious storms, including the 500-year flood.
