Ocean City Firefighters Aid in Storm Rescue

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Boats are lined up for search and rescue efforts. (Photo courtesy of Ocean City Firefighters Association)

By MADDY VITALE Remnants of Hurricane Ida tore through the western and northern parts of the state Wednesday, leaving more than 20 dead, hundreds homeless and widespread devastation in its wake. Ocean City was spared the brunt of the storm. So Ocean City firefighters responded to the call of duty to help others in the state. Firefighter Ryan Clark and Capt. Chris Vliet, who are members of the Cape May County Regional Urban Search Team (RUST), went to Gloucester County near 7 p.m. But other emergency responders were already there assisting. Then they headed north to aid in swift water search and rescue. “There is a lot of flooding, lots of swift water. Roads are almost like rivers,” Ocean City Fire Capt. Ray Clark explained of the scene as described by his brother, Ryan. Ryan Clark and Vliet began the drive up to Hillsborough in Somerset County. They couldn’t get there. They assisted in multiple rescues along the way. Floodwaters kept rising, making the roads impassable. They were sent to Manville, also in Somerset County, to assist. “They came across a road flooded with water crossing over it,” said Ray Clark, a leader in the RUST team. "A car was pinned across a guardrail. Someone was standing on the roof. Ryan and Chris helped in the rescue.” Ryan Clark has been on the Ocean City Fire Department for nearly five years. Vliet is a 20-plus-year veteran of the department.

Boats are lined up for search and rescue efforts. (Photo courtesy of Ocean City Firefighters Association) Fire Chief Jim Smith said Thursday that he is proud of the firefighters for their dedication and their hard work as part of the RUST team. “Obviously, to be on the RUST team and remain on the team, it takes a lot of dedication and a ton of training -- hours above and beyond our regular training hours,” Smith said. “Our guys work 56 hours a week as it is. Being on the team takes away from their families, and they do it to help other people. We have good people in our department.” On Thursday night, Ocean City Firefighter Matt Long was also heading up to assist in the rescue efforts. Smith said that some county RUST members are leaving from Wildwood to relieve some of their members. They will be bringing up supplies for Ryan Clark and Vliet, including food and drinks. Smith noted that the county RUST team has highly trained members. “They are a valuable asset throughout the state,” he said. “The recognition that the team is receiving has put us on the short list. We are willing to respond to assist other communities when they need us.” For Ray Clark, the thought of his brother, along with a veteran firefighter he has known much of his career, in dangerous rescue efforts worries him but he knows they can handle it. They are well-trained and well-prepared. But he still has his concerns as a brother and a fellow firefighter because he has been there.

Capt. Ray Clark, left, checks a firefighter's safety gear during a 2018 training drill. He was sent down to New Orleans to aid in rescue efforts during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. “Captain Vliet, he got hired after me and we have been in the department together for 20-plus years. Ryan is my brother. I was down at Hurricane Katrina for 30 days doing this work,” Ray said. He continued, “For me, to see these guys, as I told them, I miss being out there doing it. They said, ‘You wouldn’t believe what we are seeing.’ For them to see firsthand, what Mother Nature is capable of, is something else. For me, it makes me a little bit nervous, because it is dangerous. But I’m proud of them. They are dedicated to what they are doing.” He pointed out that neither his brother nor Vliet were reachable by cellphone because they didn’t have service later in the day on Thursday. “I probably won’t talk to them for a couple of hours,” he said. “The last I heard they were going out on an assignment.”