Captain John Quigley Jr. and his wife Kim are all smiles with Luke, 3, at the swearing-in ceremony.
By Maddy Vitale
Lifelong firefighter James P. Smith, who has been at the helm of the Ocean City Fire Department since 2016, was officially sworn-in Friday night to the top post, becoming the 18th fire chief in 125 years of fire service in Ocean City.
The ceremony was held at the Ocean City Tabernacle. Members of each rank, deputy chief, captain and firefighter, were also sworn in.
Reverend John Jamieson, chaplain for the fire department, performed the invocation.
Mayor Jay Gillian gave remarks and swore in Smith.
“Jim Smith will be a great fire chief,” Gillian said. “He brings energy and enthusiasm to the job.”
Then the mayor told the audience that firefighters perform the bravest acts and they do so as second nature because they are true public servants.
Captain John Quigley Jr. and his wife Kim are all smiles with Luke, 3, at the swearing-in ceremony.
Smith thanked the mayor for the opportunity to serve the community. At the end of the ceremony the chief thanked everyone who came out, especially his fellow firefighters.
“I’m trying to rekindle it,” Smith said of morale. “It might not have been here as much as it should have been.”
Smith’s wife Kate said after the ceremony that she was so happy to see her husband officially named chief.
“I have seen him rise up in the ranks from firefighter to chief,” she remarked. “It is great. We are so proud of him.”
The chief’s children Ashley, 28, Brendan, 10, and Sarah, 7, attended the ceremony.
Smith chief comes from a family of firefighters. His father James Smith, served with the Philadelphia Fire Department for 41 years and rose to the rank of deputy fire chief.
Smith’s parents were out of town and could not attend. But his uncle, Tom O’Malley, a captain in the Philadelphia Fire Department, pinned the badge on during the ceremony. O’Malley’s son Shawn, also a Philadelphia firefighter, also took the stage to show support for his cousin.
Smith, 48, is in his 25th year of service at the Ocean City Fire Department. He was appointed acting fire chief in November 2016. City Council officially approved Gillian’s appointment of him in December 2017.
In addition to fire service, Ocean City Beach Patrol Chief Mark Jamieson and Beach Patrol Captain Brian Booth were sworn in to their posts Friday night.
Smith performed the swearing-in and the pinning of the badges for fire personnel and the beach patrol.
Ocean City Beach Patrol Chief Mark Jamieson is given the oath of office by Fire Chief Smith with his parents Reverend John Jamieson and Marilyn by his side.
Jamieson became head of beach patrol last year. The lifelong Ocean City resident and beach patrol member since 1998, said after the ceremony that he is ready for another year working with his crew of 186 to keep beachgoers safe.
His father, Reverend Jamieson and mother Marilyn, stood with him while he was sworn in.
And 51-year veteran of the beach patrol, Thomas Mullineaux received some recognition for his service as well as an oar, a very long memento for his lengthy years of service.
Gillian presented Mullineaux with the gift, which was met by some chuckles in the audience. Then the mayor thanked him for “51 summers of continued service” to the Ocean City Beach Patrol.
Mullineaux joked, “I thought I’d do it for four years in college and one thing led to another and 51 years later, what can I say.”
Thomas Mullineaux , a 51-year veteran of the beach patrol, receives a gift of an oar from Mayor Jay Gillian and Fire Chief James Smith.
The swearing-in ceremony also included the following members of the Ocean City Department of Fire and Rescue Services:
Deputy Chiefs
Stephen Costantino
Vito DiMarco
Captains
Patrick Flynn
Bernard Walker
Christopher Vliet
Raymond Clark
John Quigley
Paul Blankley
Richard Bickmore
Firefighters
Sean Kruger
Ryan Stamm
Eric Masters
William Lombard
William Tomlinson
