Ocean City’s first responders host a public safety expo
MARYLAND – Today the City had a Public Safety Expo for all those across the state whose job is to save lives. Fire Trucks, Helicopters, Police Boats, and more all gathered in Ocean City today to educate the community.
Everything from DUI Enforcement to Surfing Safety- First Responders came out to inform Maryland residents. Ryan Whittington with the Ocean City Fire Department organized the event saying this is a step towards building community relationships. “The public safety expo that we held today truly highlights the partnerships that we have with our state, local, and Federal agencies… We want our folks to know, that visit Maryland, that come to Ocean City, to know the first responders who are going to save them should they call for help. We want them to see the resources their tax dollars pay for, and know that we have the most state-of-the-art equipment ready to serve them.”
Speaking of some of that State-of-the-art equipment, Heather Stevens, with the Ocean City Fire Marshall Arson Division Bomb Squad, tells us more about their newest technology. “This is our ICore Flex Robot, this allows us to essentially go remote, that we can stay away from the suspicious device or package.” Another division of the Office of Fire Marshalls is the Bonfire Enforcement Division. Compliance officer Larry Yates says they make sure people are following the rules. “There are bonfires permitted on the beach and we go out and make sure they’re in compliance with having a permit, that they properly clean up, and pretty much everyone is behaving themselves.”
One of the Expo’s main attractions was the Helicopter that landed in the middle of the Expo. Flight Paramedic Sergeant Jonathan King tells us what they do and some things they see. “We do medivac, law enforcement missions, search and rescue, homeland security and disaster assessment. What we’re really known for is our medivac mission. They comprise about 80% of our call volume.” He describes some severe incidents where individuals were struck by propellers or run over by jet skis. Everyone jumps in when there are situations like that, and he says, that’s what this day is all about. “Everyone loves to see the helicopter, it says Maryland State Police on the side, but, we could not do what we do without every agency here.”
They Public Safety Expo also had Human Resources there to help anyone who wanted to get a job as a First Responder, and encourage children to look into law enforcement careers. They are excited to see what next year will bring.
