July 19, 2013 The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch Page 9 . . Dive Team’s Role Questioned FROM PAGE 8 about an hour later. At 1:20 p.m., dive operations were completed and vessels returned to dock with the victims, who were both OCPD’s Tom Geoghegan and Joshua Adickes. On Monday, the aircraft was scheduled to be recovered by the private salvage contractor when weather and tide conditions improved, and on Thursday, July 4, at 5 p.m., the aircraft was recovered and transported to a predetermined location for incident investigation. “It is an unfortunate incident. We train, we exercise, we mitigate these problems and I think you all did a very good job in how we handled this issue,” Theobald said. “It is a personal issue … it affected this family.” Theobald was proud to say the Unified Command system worked and decisions were made timely and appropriately. He added the operations were conducted in a similar way parallel to the Ocean City Air Show special event that is planned and exercised together by the supporting agencies. “Reality came to life that day but you were better prepared because we exercise and train together, and we do it on a regular basis,” Theobald said. City Council Secretary Mary Knight asked why the Ocean City Dive Team was not involved in the rescue operation on Sunday. “There was discussion between the MSP Dive Team and Chief [Chris] Larmore [OCFD]. At that point, after discussion, a decision was made that the dive team would not be part of the recovery process ... It is a decision that a chief has the authority to make and we need to support that decision,” Theobald said. MSP Dive Team Commander Lt. Krah Plunkert stepped in to explain by the time MSP was going to arrive on the scene of the crash it was known the rescue operation would cross the fine line into a recovery mission, at which point the crash site then becomes a crime scene. “As soon as we know it is turning into a recovery … I have to sit down with the fire chief and say … when it becomes a recovery it is then turned over to the State Police as a criminal incident. This plane crash you have to treat as a crime scene and it is a criminal investigation until we can determine it is not something that was purposely done,” Plunkett said. Retired Ocean City Emergency Manager Buzzy Bayles asked why the new fire boat was not deployed. The fire boat’s absence at several recent events has been questioned privately, including during a boat propeller accident in June when Kirstein utilized his priSEE PAGE 12 Happy Hour 3-6 p.m. MONDAY-THURSDAY Duck Parties Start 4-9 p.m. Friday 7/19 Kevin Poole & The Gang Saturday 7/20 The Klassix Sunday 7/21 Nathan Pinchak Band Wednesday 7/24 Rock The Dock With DJ Batman 5-9 p.m. Thursday 7/25 Acoustic Thursday 6-9 p.m. www.mrducksbar.com 311 Talbot Street • 410-289-9125 Open 7 Days A Week At 11 a.m.