Ocean City Fire Department Restructures

By MADDY VITALE The Ocean City Fire Department answers 4,000 calls for service each year. When it comes to saving lives and property, efficiency is vital. That is why officials are making some changes to streamline the department. One such change is creating the rank of battalion chief, which would replace the deputy chief as tour commander. This restructure would eventually have deputy chiefs solely in administrative roles. There would be two deputy chiefs along with three battalion chiefs in what would likely be fully in effect within the next two years, Fire Chief Jim Smith said in an interview Wednesday. Smith, who has been chief since 2016, oversees 65 firefighters. There are also two civilian EMTs, in addition to the firefighters who are all EMT-certified. There are three fire department stations. The fire department headquarters is located at 550 Asbury Ave. The other two stations are at 4518 West Ave. and 2901 West Ave. On Friday, Fire Capt. Richard Bickmore, 39, was sworn into the rank of battalion chief. “Rick will be the first battalion chief in the Ocean City Fire Department’s 130-year history,” Mayor Jay Gillian said in a statement Friday. “This promotion is the first step in a reorganization process of the department to streamline operations.” The Ocean City Fire Department's headquarters is located at 550 Asbury Ave. (Photo credit: Ocean City Fire Department) Bickmore is a 13-year veteran of the Department of Fire and Rescue Services. Prior to coming to Ocean City to work as a firefighter, he worked as a firefighter in Collingswood. In May of 2010, he was laid off from the fire department due to financial restraints. He was hired the following month by Ocean City. In 2017, Bickmore was promoted to the rank of captain. He and his wife, Molly, have three daughters, Lilly, Hannah and Claire, “We had the good fortune of hiring him,” Smith said of Bickmore. “It worked out great for us.” Smith explained what the role of battalion chiefs are and how they would help improve the department’s operations. The battalion chiefs would gain experience managing 20 other firefighters in their platoon and everything that comes with it “from moving personnel around to training, building up personnel and discipline,” Smith said. Smith touted the reasons why restructuring would benefit the community. “The idea behind the reorganization is to create a better candidate for fire chief by providing experience in both suppression and in administrative roles,” he said of future leaders of the department. “This is a major operation. We are dealing with a $10 million budget. You are interacting with people every day,” he said. He also complimented the work of his department. “The members of the department do an amazing job,” Smith emphasized. “The city gets an incredible service from the firefighters and the department also receives so much support from the community.” Battalion chiefs typically oversee three to five fire stations. Ocean City has three fire stations. “The plan and the vision we put forth was that through attrition, as the deputy chiefs retire, we would reduce the number down from four deputy chiefs to two deputy chiefs and the battalion chiefs would replace them,” he said. He anticipates some retirements coming up of deputy chiefs. “We expect this plan to be fully in effect in two years. We would have the chief and two deputy chiefs solely on day work and then the battalion chiefs would assume the tour commander role,” Smith said. “The whole reason, in my eyes, to do this is to create stronger candidates for the future in the department.” For more information visit the Ocean City Fire Department website at https://oceancityfirefighters.com/ Newly minted Battalion Chief Rick Bickmore, second from left, with Fire Chief Jim Smith, far right, and other high-ranking fire officials pose after Bickmore's promotion ceremony. (Photo courtesy of Ocean City Firefighters Association)