Kids & Family

EMILY Device Makes Waves With First Rescue

The life-saving device, which is named in memory of Malibu eighth grader Emily Shane, has been put in use up and down the West Coast.

A life-saving device named after Malibu's Emily Shane made its first rescue this weekend in Oregon.

The EMergency Integrated Lifesaving LanYard—or EMILY—is a 25-pound, remote-controlled robot fashioned much like a baby jet ski, which was adopted by the Depoe Bay Fire Department last year.

According to Depoe Fire Chief Josh Williams, the device was instrumental in the rescue of a father and son at the Otter Rock surfing area in Oregon Sunday afternoon.

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"We are pleased that this recent addition to our arsenal of life saving tools has proven its worth," Williams told the Lincoln County News.

Two boys were swept out with a rip current. One of the boys made it in to shore, but the other grabbed onto a rock. The boy's father swam out, which was when EMILY was deployed, bringing both father and son safely into shore, according to the newspaper.

Find out what's happening in Malibuwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

EMILY can be fitted with side scan sonar and is able to detect objects—cars, boats or bodies—up to 200 feet beneath the surface. She can travel up to 40 mph and for 80 miles on a single charge. EMILY can support five people until help arrives.

The device was designed by mechanical engineer Anthony Mulligan, whose daughter Marie was good friends with 13-year-old Emily Shane before she was killed on the side of Pacific Coast Highway in April 2010.

From this tragedy, Mulligan was inspired for the name of a lifesaving product he had been developing.

Emily's father, Michel Shane, said the family was thrilled by the news.

"This device that saves lives embodies all that our Emily stood for and what our foundation is trying to accomplish, by being a safety net for kids struggling with processing issues, not exactly saving lives but making a difference and at the end of the day that was Emily ... always making a difference in the lives she touched," Shane said. "We are so proud that THE EMILY was named after our darling daughter and that her name will be synonymous with saving lives."

Learn more about the Emily Shane Foundation at emilyshane.org.


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