2024 Person of the Year: Donna Lane

Five days a week, Southold police dispatcher Donna Lane answers a variety of 911 calls — from house alarm system alerts to car wrecks and everything in between — and directs first responders to help those in need. 

“I always look at our dispatchers as the unsung heroes of the police department,” Southold Police Chief Steven Grattan said. “[They are] the vital resource between that person that needs help and the people that provide the help.”

Ms. Lane’s calm, professional demeanor when answering calls is something Chief Grattan considers an invaluable asset to the department. For 18 years, she has been able to stay level-headed and get help to those in need — a quality that carried into her own life when the opportunity presented itself this fall. 

On Oct. 18, as Ms. Lane drove home along Main Road in Mattituck after working a 4 p.m. to midnight shift, she helped save a family of five from a roaring house fire. 

She quickly leapt into action and called 911 as she banged on the front door and windows of the house to wake any sleeping occupants. Through these actions, she was able to rouse Colleen Krupski, who in turn woke her husband, Stephen Buczak, and their children ages 7, 4 and 1. 

Roughly two decades of experience maintaining a professional, pragmatic demeanor when answering 911 calls is something Chief Grattan believes enabled Ms. Lane to respond without hesitation that night.

“I think it helps in that moment to be able to jump into action, remain calm, stay focused and understand what has to be done,” Chief Grattan said. 

Tammy Paladino, Ms. Lane’s supervisor, said it must have been “unique” for her to be on the other side of the emergency services call that night. 

“It just goes to show that we are human beings, too, and that we’re geared towards thinking along emergency lines and things that can go wrong,” Ms. Paladino said. “So, you know, to stop and pull over and go knock on a door to alert somebody to that would — it had to have been really unique.”

Ms. Krupski told The Suffolk Times in a previous interview that Ms. Lane woke her before the fire alarm went off in the house — an effort that saved crucial time. 

“My daughter’s room was on the side with the fire, and it was heating up quickly, so she saved us 30 seconds to a minute of [the baby] being in that room,” Ms. Krupski said. “We are forever grateful that she was driving by.”

Firefighters from Mattituck, Cutchogue and Jamesport fought for two hours to extinguish the blaze. The Southold, Greenport and Riverhead fire departments provided additional EMS coverage during the fire. 

In a letter to the editor, Mr. Buczak commended the quick-thinking actions of Ms. Lane and the first responders who helped save not only the family, but several precious memories — “irreplaceable mementos that connect us to who we are.”

“While we lost our office and all of the equipment for our baby onesie business, those are just things — they can be replaced,” Mr. Buczak wrote. “What truly brought me to tears, though, were the small, sacred miracles amidst the ash and rubble. 

“Looking into my children’s room, I found my daughter Juliet’s beloved ‘Lovey’ blanket and my son Luke’s soot-covered Buzz and Woody toys, waiting to be rescued like us.” 

For Ms. Lane, Mr. Buczak had this message: “To the guardian angel who knocked on our door that night — you saved more than just a house; you saved a family. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.”

For her long-standing commitment to public service and her selfless, heroic acts that fateful October night, Donna Lane is The Suffolk Times’ 2024 Person of the Year.