Legislator Bridget Fleming honored Shane Sharkey and Ian King, members of the Southampton Volunteer Ambulance Corps, for their heroic and lifesaving actions taken on Noyac Road in North Sea in the early morning on June 18, 2017.
At approximately 2:48 A.M., a report was received of a motor vehicle accident in front of 400 Noyac Road, North Sea. Both the North Sea Fire Department and the Southampton Volunteer Ambulance were activated to respond. Emergency Medical Technicians Shane Sharkey and Ian King, of the Southampton Ambulance Department, who were both on duty as first responders for the Southampton Volunteer Ambulance, arrived on the scene at 2:51 A.M.
The two immediately realized that the vehicle was on fire and that someone was trapped inside. Without hesitation or the benefit of firefighting protective gear, Emergency Medical Technicians Sharkey and King used a small embankment and pushed their way through dense brush to arrive at the vehicle, which appeared to have rolled over numerous times. The Ford F-350 pickup truck was resting on the passenger side with the engine compartment fully involved with fire. Emergency Medical Technicians Sharkey and King entered the heavily damaged cab of the vehicle and contacted the occupant. Using a small portable fire extinguisher they kept the flames, which had already breached the firewall, from advancing any further, while they worked to extricate the victim. The victim, who weighed approximately 200 pounds, was unable to assist in his own rescue due to serious head and chest injuries. Working as a team, Sharkey and King managed to extricate the victim from the vehicle and remove him to a safe area.
Shortly after rescuing the victim, units from the North Sea Fire Department arrived and extinguished the fully involved vehicle and surrounding brush fire. For their heroic efforts under great personal risk, Shane Sharkey and Ian King, of the Southampton Volunteer Ambulance Corps, were previously awarded the Suffolk County Vocational Education and Extension Board’s Silver Medal of Valor and honored for their dedication and service to the community.
“Shane and Ian’s actions were extraordinarily courageous and heroic. These two put their own safety in jeopardy to save another individual’s life without any second thought. They continue to serve their community on a volunteer basis and ask for nothing in return. Shane Sharkey an Ian King are truly outstanding members of our community. The Second Legislative District is a better and safer place because of these two volunteers and I am glad to be able to show my appreciation.” said Legislator Bridget Fleming.