First responders rescue man from icy waters off Mother’s Beach

First responders from several agencies were recognized Monday night, Feb. 3, for rescuing a Bellport man who had fallen through the ice near Mother’s Beach on the afternoon of Jan. 25.
“Putting yourself in jeopardy to save someone else is truly God’s work,” county executive Ed Romaine said at the ceremony held at the South Country Ambulance Company in Bellport.
The 65-year-old man, who wasn’t identified, was in an ice boat when strong winds carried him into an area of thin ice, 1,200 feet from shore, South Country Ambulance chief Gregory C. Miglino Jr. said.
South Country Ambulance’s ice rescue unit was the first to respond and they pulled the man from the icy water. Numerous other agencies assisted to save the man and transport him to Long Island Community Hospital. He was released from the hospital and has made a full recovery, Miglino said.
Those recognized Monday night included:

Lt. Wayne Caldicott,, South Country Ambulance
Chief Gregory C. Miglino Jr., South Country Ambulance
Brian Gilligan, assistant chief of operations, South Country Ambulance
Officer Gary Quenzer, Suffolk County Police Department Marine Bureau
Bellport Fire Department
Bellport Village Code
Brookhaven Fire Department
Hagerman Fire Department
Mastic Beach Ambulance
Mastic Beach Fire Department
South Country Ambulance
Suffolk County Police Department, 5th Precinct, units 514, 515, 537 and 541