Under intense scrutiny for the past month, the Oak Bluffs fire and EMS department tumbled through a week of turmoil and transition, beginning with the resignation of fire chief John Rose last Friday and followed quickly by the announced departure of deputy chief Shawn Broadley.

At press time Thursday, no interim chief had been named, although town leaders said they are working on some kind of transition plan.

In an email to the Gazette Wednesday, town administrator Robert Whritenour said after Mr. Broadley leaves, calls would be managed by assistant fire chief Manuel Rose and department captains. Manuel Rose is the brother of John Rose. Mr. Whritenour said first lieutenant Matthew Bradley will lead the EMS side of the department, with Trulayna Rose as second in command. Trulayna Rose is John Rose’s sister.

Selectmen announced the fire chief’s resignation in a press statement Friday, saying it would take effect April 30. But they have since confirmed that though he will be paid through April, he is off the job effective immediately.

And contacted by telephone Thursday, Deputy Chief Broadley confirmed he would be retiring effective Feb. 17.

“I couldn’t peg any one reason,” Mr. Broadley told the Gazette. “Basically it boils to just feeling like this was time.”

The town has been embroiled in the crisis swirling around the fire department since the start of the year, when an FBI inquiry into ambulance finances and sexual harassment allegations against Chief Rose came to light at roughly the same time. The sexual harassment allegations were settled last fall, but the FBI inquiry into town ambulance department’s billing practices remains ongoing.

In recent weeks selectmen have scrambled to contain the fallout from both matters, holding lengthy closed-door meetings, issuing statements, and releasing a performance action plan aimed at rehabilitating the fire chief’s professional behavior. Maneuvers reached a crescendo Friday afternoon with the resignation of the embattled chief.

The statement issued Friday said the town had reached a mutual separation agreement with Chief Rose that includes payment for accrued leave time, cooperation if requested, and a non-disparagement agreement. It also said the town and Mr. Rose would not comment further on the matter. “This is a stressful time and both parties have agreed to limit their comments,” the statement said.

The Gazette has requested a copy of the separation agreement under the state public records law. Responding by email, Mr. Whritenour said the agreement had a seven-day revocation period and could not be released until the period had ended.

Chief Rose was the only full-time employee of the Oak Bluffs fire department. There are approximately 40 volunteer firefighters, and approximately 10 full or part-time EMS staff, as well as dozens of other volunteers.

In a hastily called emergency session Saturday, selectmen met with approximately 35 members of the town fire and EMS staff to assuage concerns about the resignation of the chief and express support for remaining members of the department.

The meeting was posted at 3:15 Friday afternoon on the town hall door, but was not posted online. Minutes from the meeting have not yet been made available.

Speaking to the Gazette by phone on Sunday, selectman and board chairman Brian Packish said the meeting lasted between 45 minutes and an hour, and that Chief Rose was not present.

“We had a meeting with the command staff just to meet with them face to face, and answer any questions, concerns, talk about what the future might look like, things of that nature,” he said. “It was more just an opportunity to put the board and the command staff in one room and to reconnect, reset, and begin a new conversation about what the future is.”

The future quickly grew more cloudy. On Monday, Mr. Broadley informed the other members of his command staff that he would be retiring. Mr. Broadley, a 30-year veteran of the department, declined to comment on the reason. He emphasized the professionalism of his staff and thanked them and the town for his three decades of service.

But in a three-page letter to his colleagues obtained by the Gazette, Mr. Broadley wrote at length about internal problems in the department and was critical of the way the selectmen handled the resignation of Chief Rose. He also said his own retirement was not an act of loyalty to the chief, and he listed numerous of examples of dysfunction in both the fire and ambulance departments.

“It was a daily battle,” the deputy chief wrote. “Most of the time it was like reliving my adolescent years. More than not, I felt more like a principal at a junior high school, or day care provider.”

In one of several email exchanges with the Gazette through the week, Mr. Whritenour said while finding an interim chief is paramount, the department will continue to focus on providing high quality emergency response.

“The board of selectmen will meet to direct matters of the potential appointment of an interim chief as well as the permanent chief recruitment process which will be open and competitive,” the town administrator wrote. “In the meantime, the focus of the department will be on providing a high level of readiness and public service as they are professionally qualified to do.”

A longtime town employee with deep experience in firefighting and emergency response, Mr. Rose had been fire chief since 2013, when the town decided to merge the fire and EMS departments following an external review that recommended the change. Prior to that he headed the town ambulance department for a number of years and was active as an EMT.

His current salary is $131,736. He had no contract; in Oak Bluffs, the fire chief position is governed by the town personnel bylaw.

He was named permanent fire chief by the selectmen in 2014. During his tenure, public officials have described Mr. Rose as a skilled fire tactician and first responder.

In 2015 the state ethics commission said he had violated conflict of interest laws by hiring and supervising four members of his family. Ultimately, the commission declined to fine Mr. Rose, choosing instead to send a public letter disclosing details of what had happened and explaining requirements of the law.

In its statement the town thanked Mr. Rose for his 30 years of service.

Speaking to the Gazette by phone Thursday, Mr. Packish expressed confidence in the leadership of the remaining command staff. He said a group of six to eight members of the department would be working with him, selectman Jason Balboni and Mr. Whritenour on a game plan moving forward. He said there are no candidates yet for an interim chief.

“We are developing that conversation, and staying in a holding pattern,” Mr. Packish said. “We believe we are in good hands at this moment. I think that the sun’s rising.”

Updated to include information from letter sent by the deputy fire chief to his colleagues.