LA PLATA, Md. — Charles County’s volunteer fire service is mourning two of its longtime leaders this week, after Bill Eckman and Tom Flint died on the same day, September 16.
The losses were significant enough that the Charles County Board of Fire and Rescue Commissioners opened its September meeting by setting business aside. “We’ve had a pretty rough week within the volunteer service,” said Bill Deere, the board’s vice chairman. “We’ve lost two of our esteemed leaders.”
Bill Eckman: 22 years as mayor, a lifetime in the fire service
William “Bill” Eckman died September 16 at age 96. He was La Plata’s longest-serving mayor, holding the office for 22 years, from 1983 to 2005, during which the town’s population grew from under 2,000 residents to nearly 8,000. He also led the town’s recovery after the devastating April 28, 2002, F4 tornado that caused more than $100 million in damage.
Eckman’s ties to the fire service predate his time in office. A Navy veteran, he had already served as a fire chief in Pennsylvania before relocating to La Plata in 1966 and joining the La Plata Volunteer Fire Department, where he was a member for more than a decade and helped develop the department’s firefighter training programs. He later authored a book on fire protection and water supply.
That expertise carried directly into his work with the county board. “During our first Capital Safety Systems study, he was instrumental in laying the foundation for the water supply study and recommendations that we’re still using today,” said Chairman Lynn Gilroy, who represents the Charles County Volunteer Fireman’s Association on the board. “And that was back in 1995.”
La Plata’s town flag was lowered in Eckman’s honor and, as of the Chronicle’s earlier reporting, was set to remain at half-staff until his interment. Funeral arrangements had not yet been finalized as of the board meeting.
Tom Flint: four decades across three departments
Thomas Lester Flint II died the same day, September 16, at age 80. A past chief, Flint’s fire service career spanned three volunteer departments — Silver Hill, Waldorf, and Bladensburg — over more than four decades. He also chaired the Southern Maryland Volunteer Firemen’s Association’s awards committee for many years and led the Maryland State Firefighters Association’s transportation committee for more than 20 years.
Before his fire service career, Flint served in the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Capitol Police. After suffering a stroke in 1996, he shifted from operational firefighting to administrative work, continuing to contribute to the departments and associations he served “in any way he could,” according to his obituary. Colleagues described him as someone firefighters “looked up to” and “respected as a true leader.”
A shared moment for the board
Gilroy and Deere both offered condolences to the families during the September meeting, noting that funeral announcements for both men would be shared with the volunteer service as soon as arrangements were finalized. Both departures leave gaps in institutional knowledge — Eckman’s decades of water-supply planning expertise and Flint’s transportation and awards committee leadership — that the board acknowledged will be difficult to replace.
