OCEAN CITY — Longtime Ocean City Fire Department Deputy Chief Chuck Barton was feted this week after announcing his retirement at the end of the month after over three decades with the department.
At the beginning of Tuesday’s Mayor and Council work session, Barton was recognized for his contributions to the resort’s fire department and paramedic service in front of a nearly full house including friends, family, colleagues and employees. Barton started with the Ocean City Fire Department as a seasonal firefighter and EMT in 1978 was hire full-time in 1983.
A nationally registered paramedic and fire officer, Barton worked his way up the ranks for the next three decades, ascending to deputy chief of the Fire/EMS Division in 2005. While his formal responsibilities included managing the administrative and operational functions of the career division, he also played a major role in the training, development and growth of the department, recognized as one of the best in the state.
Mayor Rick Meehan read a proclamation in Barton’s honor and presented the longtime firefighter and paramedic with a key to the city.
“These occasions are always bittersweet,” he said. “You can see the large number of people here and they are all here for you. What you did was lead by example and that is evident throughout the department.”
Meehan said Barton served the town well for 30-plus years and won’t easily be replaced.
Long-time Deputy Chief Chuck Barton is surrounded by members of the Ocean City Fire Department after being recognized by the town on the occasion of his retirement. Submitted Photo
“There are many ways you have helped the town of Ocean City and we are honored to have had your service for more than 30 years,” he said. “You have gained the respect of everyone in this room and to say that you will be missed is purely an understatement.”
Ocean City Fire Chief Chris Larmore also had nothing but nice things to say about his second-in-command for many years.
“You will never hear a bad word about him,” he said. “Three words come to mind — integrity, commitment and honesty — and never did he not consider those three words as he carried out his duties. Not one time did he not do what he felt was best for the town.”
Barton’s professional achievements are extraordinary, including a Governor’s Citation, the state of Maryland EMS Provider of the Year Award and the Outstanding Achievement Award for Maryland’s Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians. While he is retiring from the Ocean City Fire Department, he will continue to teach and share his knowledge.
“I have accepted a full-time faculty position in the EMS department at Wor-Wic Community College,” he said. “I am looking forward to teaching, continuing my work on my graduate degree and spending more time traveling with my family.”
Barton fondly recalled his decades of service to the town of Ocean City and shared his awards and retirement ceremony with those who worked under him.
“I greatly appreciate the opportunity to serve the fire department, the Town of Ocean City and the Ocean City community,” he said. “I have had an incredible career, but the success I’ve had is deeply rooted in the success of my employees. They provide a tremendous service and they are what I am proud of the most.”
Barton said he was also proud of the level of commitment of public service in the resort and learned a lot about public service when he first joined the department over 30 years ago and recalled a seminal time in Ocean City history when a former mayor worked in the trenches to repair the damages of a storm.
“In this, an election year, we see a lot of people complaining about how government works,” he said. “The very first time I saw Harry Kelley driving a bulldozer in the ocean, I knew Ocean City was a special place.”