A plaque installed outside Stony Brook Southampton Hospital’s Emergency Medical Technician room last week officially dedicates the space to the late Randy Hoffman of East Hampton, a critical-care E.M.T. who worked with fire and ambulance departments across the South Fork and was credited with saving at least two lives during his long tenure as a first responder.
“I just do E.M.S. stuff because I like it,” Mr. Hoffman said in early March 2020. “I enjoy doing it. I enjoy helping people.” At the time, he was in a rehabilitation facility in Greenport after being left paralyzed following spinal surgery in late 2019. Mr. Hoffman persevered, eventually walked again, and returned to volunteering as an E.M.T. He died of a rare blood cancer in July, “leaving behind a deeply saddened South Fork community and an enduring legacy of compassion, resilience, and service,” according to the hospital.
“The dedication of the E.M.T. room ensures that Randy’s contributions and commitment to helping others will continue to inspire both current and future generations of emergency responders,” Dr. Darin Wiggins, the hospital’s vice chairman of emergency medicine, said in an announcement about the dedication. The Bridgehampton emergency medical service, one of many here that Mr. Hoffman had been involved with, donated the plaque.