After 35 years in the fire service, Oak Bluffs fire Chief Nelson Wirtz will retire later this year. 

Chief Wirtz, who has served as chief since 2021, said Wednesday he will step down in December, largely to spend more time with his family.

“Due to the increased risk of cancer in the fire service, my wife has been pretty adamant that when I maxed out in the retirement system, I would retire,” said Chief Wirtz. “Unfortunately, a lot of my peers, my friends and colleagues…are suffering from the effects of occupational cancer. A number of my friends have lost that battle. I would like to spend some time with my wife and children.”

The Oak Bluffs select board began to discuss the hiring process for Chief Wirtz’s replacement at Tuesday’s meeting. No decisions were made, but the board did start to consider the job description and if the next chief would be a “strong chief” or a “weak chief,” terms used to denote the level of autonomy the fire chief has over their department in relation to the select board.

Chief Wirtz said he will return to Cape Cod, where his family lives, when he retires. 

“My wife has done an amazing job of caring for our home and our children while I’ve been out here playing fireman and it’s time to really be her partner again,” he said. 

Although he is retiring and returning to the Cape, Chief Wirtz hopes to remain involved in Island firefighting by helping with emergency management and seeing it become more regionalized. He also wants to teach firefighting and EMT training programs on the Vineyard.

“The three and a half years that I have spent as the chief of Oak Bluffs has been the highlight of my career,” Chief Wirtz said. “The dedication and professionalism of the members of this department and the support from this town and this community has been amazing. I am just so honored to have been a part of this community and proud to have worked alongside these incredible human beings.”