After a number of destructive fires in 2019 brought scrutiny from state overseers and demands for answers from residents, the city updated its decades-old dispatching practices.
The city now dispatches firefighters, police and EMS simultaneously when a report of a fire on the island comes in, police Chief Thomas McQuillen said in a recent interview. McQuillen oversees the Sea Isle City Volunteer Fire Department in his role as public safety director. In October, a Press of Atlantic City review of city dispatch records and interviews with a former fire chief revealed the city had been sending police to scenes first to confirm the need for firefighting services, leading to costly response times. City officials had not publicly announced the changes, which The Press learned of during reporting for a follow-up article.