Confirming the first promotions under a restructured force, the Oak Bluffs selectmen this week appointed two men to the upper ranks of the fire department.
Shawn Broadley was named deputy fire chief, and Manuel (Manny) Rose was appointed assistant fire chief.
After more than a year of discussion, Oak Bluffs is poised to modernize its fire department by creating a new command structure.
A caravan-style car drove off the end of the Steamship Authority dock and was trapped underwater with four passengers inside.
This was the premise of a training scenario staged Sunday morning for the Oak Bluffs dive and rescue team.
“An elderly person had a medical event and they gunned it down the terminal,” said Oak Bluffs fire department acting chief John Rose, who conducted the dive team’s first car rescue drill.
The Oak Bluffs selectmen Tuesday unanimously approved increased annual stipends for the fire department.
When requesting the increase, acting fire chief John Rose said the new stipends are more comparable to the pay scale in other towns.
Traci Monteith is afraid of heights but she loves depths. She’s been diving in Vineyard waters for more than 10 years, but only recently has she been working toward certification as an advanced diver on the Oak Bluffs fire department dive team. On a recent Thursday evening, she wet-suited up alongside two other members of the team for their first night dive.
An independent review of the Oak Bluffs fire department turned up a series of needed improvements, including better record keeping, clearer policies and procedures and improved communication between town and fire authorities.