New Chilmark Fire Chief Sworn In

Manny Rose may have been born in Oak Bluffs, but his favorite place on the Island has always been Menemsha. The new Chilmark fire chief recalls being “knee high to a grasshopper,” driving the long way up-Island to fish the derby in Menemsha. 

“I’ve always loved Chilmark,” Mr. Rose told the Gazette. “I hope to be a good, a great leader here.” 

Mr. Rose was sworn in as the new fire chief last Friday, taking over for Jeremy Bradshaw to run the Chilmark fire department. Mr. Rose is relying on history — of his family’s firefighting, his own experience as a firefighter and the stories of retired firefighters in Chilmark — to ground himself in tradition and move forward with new energy. 

“Fire departments are all about history,” said Mr. Rose. 

When describing how he became a firefighter, Mr. Rose jokingly said he was “pushed into it” at the age of 15. 

“It’s been a family tradition, from my father to my older brothers,” who were all firefighters, said Mr. Rose. 

He recalled as a child being energized at the sight of a red firetruck, hanging out at the fire station during radio checks on Sundays and selling T-shirts with the department during the summer fireworks. 

As a firefighter with the Oak Bluffs fire department, Mr. Rose responded to the 2010 fire in Menemsha, helping in the effort by boat. 

“I don’t consider myself a hero,” Mr. Rose said. “This is just what I do. I’m going to react in a situation and do what I know how to do, and hopefully the outcome is always good.” 

His switch to the Chilmark fire department came four years ago, and there has been no lack of camaraderie. Although he is the only full-time paid member of the department, retired members, including his father, will come into the station to hang out, have coffee and swap stories about the old days of the Chilmark’s fire department, said Mr. Rose. 

Because Chilmark runs on a call-volunteer system, Mr. Rose said he hopes to bolster volunteer recruitment during his tenure, especially of young people. 

“As [members] go out the door, we’re hoping that we have people coming in the door,” said Mr. Rose. “The fire service today is tough, because the  state requires a lot of training, so it’s definitely taxing on the volunteers.” 

In the meantime, he’ll be stationed at Chilmark Fire Station 1, surrounded by red firetruck models in the office and the trucks in the bay — not the red of his childhood, or his upbringing in the Oak Bluffs fire department, but white, as they’ve always been in Chilmark. 

This article appears in March 6, 2026.