Firefighter saves man from a burning car on the third day of his new job: 'Glad I was able to help'

Firefighters are brave and selfless individuals who dedicate their lives to protecting and serving their communities. Recently, Manchester-by-the-Sea Probationary Firefighter Shane Stephenson is being hailed as a hero after rescuing a driver whose car burst into flames. He's just been three days on the job and he's already saved a person's life.

The firefighter-in-training was on his way to work at the Manchester-by-the-Sea fire department on Thursday when he saw smoke coming from a car. He realized that the vehicle had crashed through a guardrail, hit a tree and immediately burst into flames. Stephenson saw that the driver of the vehicle was trapped in the car and three good Samaritans were trying to help him out.

"My main goal [was] to make sure he was safe and away from the vehicle," Stephenson told WCVB 5. "I'm an EMT, 13 years. So, you see something like that, and you want to pull over and help, and, you know, you can't expect ever to be trained to the same level." He added, "So you kind of go up and make sure everybody's doing the right thing, and kind of helping, give some direction where you can. Glad I was able to help. Glad I was there and not 10 minutes earlier."

According to Boston 25 News, Stephenson worked as an EMT for a private ambulance company in the Merrimack Valley. His work involved working with traumatized patients so he's no stranger to the rescue efforts. “My big thing was making sure the patient was out and then I let the professionals take care of the fire,” Stephenson said. Firefighters had some trouble getting to the scene earlier because of the huge back-up behind the burning vehicle. Fortunately, Stephenson and the others were able to get the driver out just in time and away from the flames.

“They were the ones who really helped out, made a positive impact in helping him get out of the vehicle,” Stephenson said. “They were the heroes.” The crash currently remains under investigation.  The right lane of the highway had to be closed for an extended period of time, causing heavy traffic along that stretch.

As for the humble firefighter he also spoke to 7 NEWS WHDH telling the outlet that he was just at the "right place right time to be able to help out."

“I think anybody else would have done the same thing,” Stephenson said of his response. “This will be a memorable moment in my career,” he continued. “I’m sure I’m going to get a lot of hassle from the guys over the next couple of days too, so I’m coming in hot. Obviously, it took a lot of people to make that happen, so I’m glad that those people did pull over because they were able to help and they definitely made a positive impact,” Stephenson separately said.

Manchester by the Sea Fire Department also praised their team member's efforts on Facebook saying, "Nice work Shane!!!" Netizens shared their thoughts on the matter with one person writing, "Firefighters are The Best People on Earth . Thank You Sir for your bravery." A second joked, " feel free to post more about firefighters."