MANTEO, North Carolina — Three Manteo Police Department officers were honored with Lifesaving Awards after separate March incidents involving a condominium fire evacuation and a vehicle-in-water rescue, according to the Town of Manteo and local reporting by The Coastland Times.

The town said the Manteo Board of Commissioners honored Sergeant Billy Deaton, Officer Shannon Epps and Officer Dalton Gross for courageous first-responder actions that protected and saved lives in the community.

Fire evacuation at Shallowbag Bay Club

According to The Coastland Times, the recognition came during the board’s May 20 meeting and included actions from a March 4 fire at a Shallowbag Bay Club condominium building.

The report said Deaton and Epps entered the burning building, went door to door through smoke-filled hallways, alerted residents and guided people to safety. Each received a certificate and uniform lifesaving pin.

Manteo Police Lieutenant Tony Corbin described the response as unusually organized under pressure, saying he had “never seen in my 25 years” such smooth coordination during chaos, according to the local report.

Vehicle-in-water rescue the next night

The Coastland Times also reported that on March 5, Gross spotted a vehicle in the water between Midway Intersection and Pirate’s Cove shortly before 11 p.m.

The report said Gross stopped to investigate, found a driver trapped inside as the vehicle began to sink, entered the water and helped the driver escape. He also helped rescue a small dog and assisted both safely back to shore.

The town’s public Facebook tribute said the three officers were presented Lifesaving Awards for “courageous actions as first responders” who protected and saved lives in Manteo.

Recognition beyond one call

The Coastland Times reported that Corbin also commended Dare County Sheriff’s Office deputies Matthew Fountain and Noah Turbitt, Roanoke Island Volunteer Fire Department firefighters, Dare County EMS paramedics and McDonald’s employee Shymeek Jay Pledger for support connected to the fire response and displaced residents.

For Support Law Enforcement readers, the Manteo awards put two very different lifesaving calls side by side: officers clearing residents from a burning building one morning and an officer entering the water to reach a trapped driver the next night.

Sources reviewed

Editorial note: ThinBlueNews used only publicly reported details from the town tribute and local reporting, avoided identifying private victims, and used a real public Town of Manteo award photo rather than generated rescue imagery.