The select board Tuesday interviewed Marques Rivers, a Tisbury deputy fire chief, and Manuel Rose, a Chilmark deputy chief, for the chief's role.
The Chilmark select board interviewed two candidates with decades of firefighting experience Tuesday in a bid to find a new fire chief.
The board interviewed Marques Rivers, a Tisbury deputy fire chief, and Manuel Rose, a Chilmark deputy chief, peppering each candidate with questions about goals, management style and needs for the department.
The board is expected to make a decision Thursday with current Chief Jeremy Bradshaw set to retire next month.
Mr. Rivers has more than 20 years in fire service, and said the opportunity to work with town and grow the department excites him.
Marques Rivers
Marques Rivers
“The membership seem like they’re a very tight group, and they’re willing to learn and adapt,” he said. “As far as the challenges that all departments face...we don’t get a lot of calls, so keeping everybody engaged and involved is going to be a challenge.”
Mr. Rivers said he follows a listen-first leadership approach, and works to ensure all emergency service departments are in constant communication.
“The key points [are] getting support of the firefighters, the officers, the police, the EMS, town departments and administration,” he said. “Understanding where everybody’s role is in town and having meetings with all those different players, learning how Chilmark operates [and] strengthening relationships with the police department, EMS and town departments.”
He also emphasized the importance of outreach with the next generation, whether it’s an expanded social media presence or a stronger relationship with Island schools. He has seen a difference with his work at the Tisbury School and hopes to transfer it to the Chilmark School.
“I believe wholeheartedly that it’s very important to be out in the community. Be visible, be active,” he said. “Not only is that going to build trust amongst the residents, my thought process is that, hopefully that sparks some of the younger generation’s [interest].”
Before working in Chilmark, Mr. Rose was a deputy fire chief in Oak Bluffs and has more than 30 years of experience.
Because the fire department is filled with volunteers, he said tracking the firefighters and offering necessary training is essential.
Manuel Rose.
Manuel Rose.
“We need to maintain qualified rosters and maintain qualified firefighters so we can move forward,” Mr. Rose said. “Training is one of the most important things, and we need to keep updated with that.”
Mr. Rose emphasized the importance of inspiring the next generation, similar to how he found a spark in this field.
“I think we should reach out to the local schools to recruit,” he said. “I started as a firefighter as a sophomore. There could be people that are interested in going to the fire service for degree and what a great place to start... we can help launch their career into the fire service.”
Mr. Rose said that if he were to get the position, a main goal would be improving communication among members in the department.
“It’s very important for your officers to be involved along with the chief,” he said. “As far as how the department’s going to be run, they need to have a say at the table. It’s very important, I think, to involve your officers when it comes to budgeting.”
The two candidates were both first interviewed by a screening committee that consisted of select board member Matt Poole, Pam Bunker, Joan Malkin and Bradlee Carroll. Tucker Drummond of the human resources board and West Tisbury fire Chief Greg Pachico assisted. They were then forwarded to the select board to conduct final interviews.
Chief Bradshaw announced in October that he would retire in February after seven years as chief.
“I feel happy [with] the way it’s gone the last seven years, the support of the town and we got great volunteers. I’m very lucky,” he told the Gazette last year.
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