GoFundMe: Campaign Launched to Help Family of Paramedic Who Died in Line of Duty

Photo: The Ralph E Oswald Family Fund page

Friends and Coworkers of The Oswalds started a fundraising campaign on GoFundMe on Tuesday to raise money for the family of Ralph Oswald, a Hampton Bays paramedic who died while in the line of duty on Monday.

Oswald, 64, collapsed and went into cardiac arrest as he and crew members were on a call about an unresponsive man, according to the GoFundMe page.

Oswald worked full time for the ambulance company as the in-house supervisor for the staff of paid first responders who assist the volunteer EMTs and ambulance drivers.

He also taught classes as an EMT instructor and was the Hampton Bays outfit’s Continuing Medical Education officer, helping volunteers from across the South Fork and beyond maintain their certification, according to the GoFundMe page.

Before working for the Hampton Bays Volunteer Ambulance Corps, Oswald served as a member of the North Lindenhurst and Dix Hill fire departments, and the Ocean Beach Volunteer Fire Company.

Oswald leaves behind a wife, Suzanne, and two sons, Cameron, 19, and Ralph, 17.

Cameron Oswald is a volunteer with Hampton Bays and was taught by his late father, according to the page.

His younger brother, meanwhile, is a junior member of the organization and currently enrolled in the EMT class that was being instructed by his father, according to the page.

The goal of the page is to raise $100,000 for Oswald’s family to go towards funeral and family expenses. So far, $5,195 has been raised.

“Please help us remember and honor this great man by supporting his family in their time of need,” a message on the GoFundMe page reads.

To read more or make a donation, visit his GoFundMe page.