Council approves Maryland State Firefighters Association parade in Berlin

The Mayor and Council voted to approve a parade permit for the Maryland State Firefighters Association on Jan. 12 after a detailed presentation from Rodney Blackiston, the association's convention and conference chair.

Blackiston said organizers met with downtown business owners, plan to preregister participants to manage unit counts, and will use the Tripoli Street parking lot for staging with Stephen Giff Park as an alternative if needed. He estimated participation could increase from about 100 entries at previous Ocean City events to roughly 15060 at a Saturday parade, and said the association will provide logistics and staffing, including state fire police and volunteer support.

Council members asked about participant counts, traffic flow and holiday staffing needs (the parade is scheduled for Juneteenth weekend). Blackiston said the association will deploy trash cans, staging personnel and logistics teams and will coordinate with the town on staffing; council members discussed flex time for staff on the holiday.

A motion to approve the permit passed unanimously, with Council Member Nichols and Vice President Burrell noted as absent from the recorded vote.

"We're here tonight to answer any questions for the permit that's in front of you," Blackiston said during his presentation. "We're looking forward to it."

The approval includes the staging and traffic mitigation plan discussed in the packet; staff will coordinate final logistics with organizers and town departments.