The Oak Bluffs selectmen this week tapped their police chief and the recently retired Tisbury fire chief to help lead the next phase for the town fire and EMS departments, with an eye toward some kind of possible restructuring.

After meeting in executive session Tuesday, selectmen reconvened in public and voted unanimously to pursue separate contractual arrangements with police chief Erik Blake and former longtime Tisbury fire chief John Schilling, who retired in June.

Interim fire chief Martin Greene will stay on through the end of September, when his six-month contract expires.

Under the new arrangement, Chief Blake will become an administrative executive for both the fire and police departments, while Mr. Schilling will take on the role of “civilian technical advisor” for the fire department.

For Chief Blake, the added responsibility of public safety director will be structured as an addendum to a new three-year contract for him as police chief, selectmen said. The extra duties will run for six months with a renewal clause. Detailed terms of the contract, including salary, were not immediately available.

As for Mr. Schilling, selectmen voted to instruct town administrator Robert Whritenour to negotiate terms with the former longtime neighboring-town fire chief, who will help oversee training and day-to-day operations at the fire department.

Oak Bluffs fire and EMS have been in a state of flux since last winter when fire chief John Rose resigned under pressure, following a long period of internal turmoil, including allegations of misconduct. The town ambulance department, which operates under the wing of EMS, has been the subject of an ongoing FBI investigation into its billing practices. Few details have been made public about the investigation, and elected town leaders have said they are not being informed about it.

Meanwhile Chief Greene, the former Bourne fire chief and a decorated longtime firefighter, was hired in April to run the department on an interim basis.

In other business Tuesday, selectmen refunded the fees for a seasonal liquor license to Kelly Morris, owner of The Alley, a bar that was unable to open this summer due to the pandemic. They also heard a request from Pawnee House co-owner Alexander Cohen to add two tables outside on the eastern-facing wall of his business.

Selectmen Greg Coogan and Ryan Ruley were in favor of the proposed alteration of premises contingent on approval of acceptable vehicle barriers. But in the end the board was divided and did not grant permission for the added tables.

Selectman Brian Packish, who is also a businessman and co-owner of the building that houses the Red Cat restaurant, said The Chowder Company had sought an identical request when the town initially began discussing summer street closures in June. That restaurant and others were never granted permission for outdoor seating behind concrete vehicle barriers.

“And with that said, I cannot possibly support reversing the decision and the precedent we set early in the spring,” Mr. Packish said. “We opted to deny others of this and I can’t possibly look at them and say, sorry about the 90 days you didn’t get to make money.”

Selectmen also appointed Terry Appenzellar to the conservation commission and Joan Hughes to the community preservation committee.