The Brookhaven Fire Department was responding to a shed fire in Shirley, when an emergency call came in about a 15-year-old boy trapped in a marsh within the refuge. The firefighters had to quickly divert their resources to the refuge and a coordinated search was conducted. Suffolk County Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services provided critical support by obtaining cellphone-based location coordinates, allowing first responders to narrow the search area. The boy was found after around 40 minutes and freed using rope rescue techniques, transported to awaiting Emergency Medical Services personnel. The rescue was credited to "a combined effort" involving mutual aid departments, including firefighters from the neighboring departments Bellport, Mastic, and Mastic Beach, as well as EMS agencies.