Shelter Island, NY – At 90, Ben Jones Remains Shelter Island’s Only Certified Paramedic

Shelter Island, NY – At 90 years-old, Ben Jones remains Shelter Island’s only certified paramedic, handling over 300 calls per year, and with no foreseeable plans for slowing down.

In a NEW YORK TIMES (http://nyti.ms/16K111p) profile of the nonagenarian, Jones refers to his continued service to fellow island residents as something he does not because he’s a “nice guy,” but as an “obligation” due to the fact that he is one of the few qualified people on the island.

Jones, who originally hails from Maplewood, NJ., spent his summers growing up on Shelter Island, and towards the end of his lucrative career as president and chairman of the Monarch Life Insurance Company he got certified and joined the Shelter Island medical emergency squad.

Over the course of his paramedic career Jones has done everything from treating fatally wounded police officers to delivering 11 babies.

Jones also recalls how, at 79, he and the Shelter Island squad hopped the ferry for the mainland to help out at ground zero during the 9/11 attacks, where they helped flush out the eyes of first responders.