OCEAN CITY, Md. - An analysis of call volumes between February 2023 and February 2024 revealed a decrease in Officer Calls for Service from 1,201 to 1,067.
However, the number of assist Fire-EMS calls surged from 86 in February 2023 to 124 in February 2024. While the Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) typically responds to Fire-EMS calls, this does not extend to incidents in West Ocean City.
Ellen Pickett, a resident living just outside of Ocean City, shared her firsthand experience with emergency services in the area. "They're so good. They're perfect. They're they're in a flash and just helpful and good to people," she remarked.
With the amount of calls increasing, some people believe that they should either be hiring or recruiting more volunteers. As of February, the OCPD has received 91 seasonal officer applicants and 63 public safety applicants, with some of the applications still under review. The police department also announced in February that it plans to end the seasonal officer program after this year.
"I'm sure that they always need volunteers. And I'm sure that they probably need to hire more people. That's all that should be in the budget as well," says local Jim Corbett.
As the need for emergency services continues to rise, the OCPD is initiating discussions aimed at potentially revising regulations regarding which calls they must join EMS on and which they do not. They plan on discussing this sometime in April.