Donation, Match Challenge Issued To Fire Company

OCEAN CITY — A charitable foundation last week presented a check for $10,000 to the resort’s first responders and challenged the community to match the generous donation.

The Robert I. Schattner (RIS) Foundation presented a $10,000 check to the Ocean City Volunteer Fire Company as part of its ongoing mission to endow worthy causes through its charitable giving. The RIS Foundation is a private charitable foundation established in 1992 by Dr. Robert I. Schattner.

Schattner invented, among other things, Chloraseptic, a well-known over-the-county medicine used to relieve minor sore throat and mouth pain. A number of years later, Schattner invented another line of products known as Sporicidin, a popular mold remediation and disinfectant product.

The success of those products provided Schattner with the means to fund his foundation and accomplish its charitable purposes. RIS President and Chairman Sidney Bresler said the Ocean City Volunteer Fire Company was a worthy beneficiary of the RIS Foundation and donated $10,000 to the local fire company. The RIS Foundation simultaneously challenged local individuals and businesses in Ocean City to match or exceed its generous donation in an effort to assist the fire company with its fundraising efforts.

“For 115 years, the Ocean City Volunteer Fire Company has proudly served this community,” said Bresler. “In recognition of this incredible legacy, RIS is honored to support the men and women who bravely volunteer their time to protect the property and safeguard the lives of Ocean City residents and the thousands of families who visit each year. Now, more than ever, it is time to support the Ocean City Volunteer Fire Company.”

The Ocean City Volunteer Fire Company was formed in 1905 with a handful of volunteers, one fire engine and one firehouse. Today, it has hundreds of members, a fleet of apparatus and five fire stations. In 2008, the Ocean City Volunteer Fire Company merged with the Ocean City Fire Department career division under one fire chief.

The agreement put the OCVFC, the career division, the firefighter-paramedics and the Fire Marshal’s Office under one unified umbrella. However, the volunteer company retains autonomy to some degree with its own leadership group.

About The Author: Shawn Soper

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Shawn Soper has been with The Dispatch since 2000. He began as a staff writer covering various local government beats and general stories. His current positions include managing editor and sports editor. Growing up in Baltimore before moving to Ocean City full time three decades ago, Soper graduated from Loch Raven High School in 1981 and from Towson University in 1985 with degrees in mass communications with a journalism concentration and history.