Newly retired Deputy Fire Chief Charlie Bowman and his wife, Jennifer, and their children, Kelsea, Katie and Caroline share a family hug during his retirement celebration. (Photos by Drew Fasy)
Ocean City Deputy Fire Chief Charlie Bowman Jr. never really thought of firefighting as a job. It has been his passion, and he’s good at it.
For 37 years, he has served his community of Ocean City, going on countless calls from fires to water rescues to accident scenes.
“Firefighting has been more of a lifestyle for me than a job. It became part of me,” Bowman said in an interview. “I never really thought about retiring, but I figured I had better at some point.”
When Bowman isn’t in the firehouse, he is spending time with his wife of 31 years, Jennifer, and their children, Caroline, 28, Katie, 21, and 18-year-old Kelsea.
“I think the profession has been tougher on my family. Half the time, you’re in the firehouse,” Bowman pointed out. “Really, my kids and wife have been so supportive and are owed a lot of credit for all these years.”
Bowman rose to the rank of deputy chief in 2000. In 2001, he served as acting chief. He retired this month and his achievements and legacy in the Ocean City Fire Department were celebrated during a ceremony last Friday.
Local, county and state officials presented Bowman with proclamations for his service.
Fellow firefighters, past and present, and family and friends from the community filled the firehouse to honor Bowman for his decades of service and wish him well in his retirement. His last day was June 1.
His wife and children attended, along with Bowman’s mother, Beth Bowman, and his sister, Tricia Branch. His father, Charlie Bowman Sr., passed away last year.
“I only wish my dad was there,” Bowman, 61, said.
He described the changing nature of the job and the need for flexibility and fast thinking for anyone who is thinking about becoming a firefighter.
“It’s a risk-takers job. You never know what is going to happen. You respond to a car accident, or a water rescue, a medical call or a fire. It’s a dynamic job, so you have to be open-minded,” Bowman said.
Charlie and past and present firefighters pose for a group photo.Bowman was always interested in public service. He went to college to become a teacher.
“I never thought I would be a fireman. I thought I would be a teacher. I began student teaching. I got a call from the fire chief at the time, Todd Bower. He asked me if I would be interested in taking the test.”
Bowman took the test and the rest is history.
“I was hired in 1986. I went home and started the next day,” he recalled.
In all his years of firefighting, there is one memory that stays with him the most.
“My first fire was early on in my career and it was terrible. It was March 31, 1987, on Wesley Avenue and the beach. It was 1 a.m. The wind off the beach was 65 mph,” he said. “It was the first fire I was on, and it was a major fire at the beach with three homes. Three people died. Pieces of homes were banking off me.
"I said to myself, ‘I can’t do this job. It’s terrible.’ I remember running between the houses and parts of the houses were blowing off. The fire was brutal.”
He thought about his career choice and his love for his community, and the importance of public service kept him in firefighting, he said.
He even was instrumental in the beginning of water rescues by the fire department.
“Back in the ’90s, I asked Chief Bower if we could be doing more with water rescues. He said to put something together. I got the water rescue program going and we got a boat.”
What he will miss most about his public service will be the tight-knit family of firefighters.
“It is totally important to be in tune and in sync with the other firefighters,” Bowman said. “We don’t even need to talk. We know what each other are thinking. I will miss the camaraderie we had.”
Charlie pictured with his mother, Beth Bowman, and his sister, Tricia Branch at his ceremony.Bowman, like his family, is very active in the community. He plans on continuing to serve the public, but on the water.
He has a captain’s license and has a 17-foot fishing boat he enjoys in his free time. He also works part time for Totally Tubular in Ocean City chartering tiki boats. The family also has a vacation home in Florida.
“It’s going to take a bit for me to get into the lifestyle of retirement. We always have a lot of stuff to do. I plan on captaining the boat and working at TJs place,” Bowman said. “I definitely like being out on the boat. Everyone is always happy on a boat. Being out on the water is just good, plain fun. It’s life after the firehouse, so I’ve been told."
