Hampton Bays Paramedic Dies in Line of Duty

A Hampton Bays paramedic died while in the line of duty on Monday morning, according to Southampton Town Police.

Ralph Oswald, a paramedic with the Hampton Bays Volunteer Ambulance Corps, responded to a call for an unresponsive male patient in Hampton Bays shortly before 9 a.m., police said.

While providing emergency medical assessment on the patient, Oswald told his crew he was experiencing distress, and immediately collapsed into cardiac arrest, police said.

Hampton Bays Volunteer Ambulance along with Southampton Village Volunteer Ambulance Corps responded and transported Oswald to Southampton Hospital, where he was pronounced dead after failed pre-hospital and in-hospital resuscitative efforts, police said.

“We are very saddened to hear of the passing of our friend and colleague Ralph Oswald,” a message on the Southampton Village Volunteer Ambulance Facebook page read. “Our thoughts and prayers are with our friends at Hampton Bays Volunteer Ambulance.”

“My thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Ralph Oswald, a paramedic with the Hampton Bays Volunteer Ambulance Corps, who died earlier today in the line of duty,” Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone wrote on his Facebook page on Monday.

Oswald served as a member of the North Lindenhurst Fire Department, Dix Hills Fire Department, Ocean Beach Volunteer Fire Company and Hampton Bays Volunteer Ambulance Corps.

He was also training a next generation of Suffolk County first responders, teaching an EMT course at the ambulance corps in which one of his own sons is a student.

“We are indebted to Ralph and all of our first responders who risk their lives every day in order to protect and save us in our time of need,” Bellone wrote. “In honor of Ralph’s invaluable service and his sacrifice, I have ordered flags in Suffolk County to be flown at half staff. May God bless Ralph, his family, and all emergency personnel.”

The Dix Hills Fire Department was recently honored for the saving the life of a man in cardiac arrest back in January.

Oswald and Dix Hills Fire Department Rescue Crew received a Pre-Hospital Save Award from the Suffolk Regional Emergency Medical Services Council.

On Dec. 11, 2014, at 7:08 p.m., the Dix Hills Fire Department was activated for a rescue call reporting an unconscious male at a residence. District Paramedic on-duty Ralph Oswald arrived on the scene and notified incoming units that he had a 60-year-old unconscious male that was in cardiac arrest. The patient was at the dinner table waiting to eat when he passed out, and his wife called 911. Oswald – with the assistance of the ambulance crew from 2-8-25 consisting of Jessica Mattes, Tyler Mielko, and John Marshall – moved the patient to the floor and began CPR, while Oswald assembled the Lucas CPR device, officials said.

Shortly after the crew of ambulance 2-8-5 – consisting of EMT Matthew Stio, EMT Richard Sorrentino, Captain/Paramedic Scott DiPino, Michael Englander, Assistant Chief Tom Napolitano and EMT Megan Pereira – arrived to assist. DiPino intubated the patient, Oswald started an IV, and with the assistance of the crew administered numerous cardiac medications and shocked the patient once, officials said.

After a few minutes the patient regained a good pulse and blood pressure. The patient then received the new return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) protocol – a very cold saline/hypothermia treatment. The patient’s condition improved while being transported to Huntington Hospital, and he was discharged after several days and is doing well, according to officials.

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