OC approves added Beach Patrol incentives for season

By Mallory Panuska Staff Writer

(May 12, 2023) Ocean City Council members took significant strides to keep the beaches guarded this summer with approval of a trio of incentives for Beach Patrol employees that aim to make the resort more competitive with surrounding jurisdictions.

“It’s not a crisis, that’s what I do I for a living, that’s crisis management. It’s going to be a challenge, operationally,” Emergency Management Director Joe Theobald said Tuesday of the department’s staffing situation during a council work session.

“But no beaches will close and the public will be guarded appropriately,” he continued. “That I commit to you. And we’ll just keep moving forward.”

In response to a staff recommendation, City Council members voted last month to add opportunities for overtime and extra bonuses for guards — or surf rescue technicians as they are officially named — who work past Labor Day.

On Tuesday, they made the vote official, with a couple of extra benefits.

Initially, the proposal was to increase the signing bonus from $250 to $500, buy three all-terrain vehicles included in the fiscal 2024 budget now and keep three that were set for replacement for a total of six, and increase overtime premiums from $1 to $2 an hour.

“We are working on doing all we can to make sure we have adequate staff for the season. Beach Patrol is no exception,” City Manager Terry McGean said Tuesday before summarizing the proposal.

After some discussion, council members agreed to offer time-and-ahalf instead of $1 more per hour for overtime that SRTs and supervisors work over their regular hours. The change is a significant one, as McGean said Beach Patrol is one of the few occupations in the country that does not require time-and-a-half paid overtime.

McGean said he will check with the finance staff to ensure the change can be made, but pending the sign off, the incentives will be offered for employees this summer.

McGean also said recruitment has improved since department officials painted a grim picture of the staffing situation at a budget work session in late March. The report at the time showed a significant lack of qualified applicants for the summer ahead. It attributed the shortage to factors such as housing availability, inability to meet fitness requirements, more stress and responsibility to guard Ocean City beaches compared to other departments, and pay.

McGean said although the number of applicants has gone up, fewer SRTs are returning, which still creates a strain.

The pay incentives and extra ATVS are expected to help with ongoing recruitment, which will continue even after the first surf rescue technicans take the stands on Memorial Day weekend.