Heroic Co Antrim firefighter who pulled man from burning car moments before explosion honoured

The scene of the incident that unfolded in May 2023 on Larne Road Link, Ballymena

An off-duty firefighter from Northern Ireland who risked his life to pull an unconscious man from a burning car—just seconds before it exploded—is to be awarded one of the UK’s highest bravery honours.

John Shannon, from Larne, will receive the Royal Humane Society Bronze Medal, a distinction reserved for exceptional acts of courage in the saving of human life.

The dramatic rescue took place on the evening of 5 May 2023, as Mr Shannon was making his way home from Ballymena Fire Station. Coming across a serious three-vehicle collision, he noticed one of the cars ablaze—with the driver unconscious and trapped inside.

Despite being off duty and without any firefighting equipment, Mr Shannon immediately sprang into action.

With flames rapidly advancing towards the vehicle’s fuel tank and the risk of explosion imminent, he bravely approached the burning car, reached inside to unbuckle the driver’s seatbelt, and dragged the man 20 metres to safety.

A police officer arrived shortly after and began assisting Mr Shannon. Moments later, the car exploded—but by then, the pair had already moved a safe distance away and were administering first aid at the roadside.

Praising the Larne firefighter for his extraordinary courage, Andrew Chapman, Secretary of the Royal Humane Society, said:

“What he did was incredibly brave.

“As a firefighter he knew better than others the dangers of going near a vehicle that is on fire, but his only thought was to save the man who was unconscious and trapped inside.

“As he was freeing the man and pulling him to safety there was a real danger that the fire could have reached the petrol tank and the vehicle would explode with him reaching inside it.

“The reality of that risk can be seen in that it did explode a short time after the man had been pulled to safety.

“Mr Shannon was a true hero and richly deserves our Bronze Medal which is one of the highest awards we make.”

The Royal Humane Society, founded in 1774, has been honouring bravery in the saving of human life for nearly 250 years. It was originally established by medical pioneers Dr William Hawes and Dr Thomas Cogan to promote life-saving resuscitation techniques.

Over the centuries, the Society has evolved to recognise and reward acts of heroism by members of the public and professionals alike. Since its inception, it has considered over 90,000 cases and made more than 220,000 awards.

As a registered charity with no public funding, the Society relies solely on voluntary donations to continue its work celebrating life-saving courage.