Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Medal Day honors first responders – NBC 6 South Florida

First responders with the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department were recognized for their efforts in keeping the community safe during a special Medal Day Ceremony on Saturday.

The 21st annual event paid tribute to personnel who went above and beyond the normal scope of their duties. Unit Citations, Certificates of Achievement, and Significant Incident awards were given to those within the department, with particular recognition paid to Bronze and Silver Medal of Valor recipients.

Firefigher Lloyd Brown was awarded the Silver Medal of Valor for his response to an incident in December of 2022. Police and dive teams were called to the area around Black Point Marina just after 3:30 a.m., after receiving word that a vehicle had crashed into a canal.

“That was a peculiar rescue, in that the car in question was pushed up against the dam by the force of the water, and the current made it exceptionally difficult,” Brown told NBC6 after receiving his medal. “But the training we have here in the department prepares us to adapt to any situation and execute these rescues.”

First responders were able to rescue all four people who were trapped inside the vehicle, including a 15-year-old, and then were taken to the hospital.

“He then dove down for the third time and found the third victim,” the emcee for Saturday’s event said, recounting Brown’s efforts. “As he pulled the victim up, his mask was pulled off his face, and he had to feel his way out of the vehicle, while holding on to the waistband of the victim.

Fellow fire rescue personnel also described how one of Brown’s dive fins came off in the water, and he motioned to his team on land to throw him another, which he then replaced while still swimming.

“While I did pull the kids out of the car, I immediately handed them off to other firefighters and paramedics, when then brought them back to life,” Brown said. “Everybody that responded on this rescue should be recognized.”

Seven months earlier, firefighter Alexio Rodriguez faced a similar underwater challenge, after a vehicle crashed into a retention pond near Florida’s Turnpike with two individuals inside.

“We are trained to be thrown at a different situation and wish for the best, expect the worst,” Rodriguez told NBC6. “There was actual alligator wildlife that’s in the area. Keep in mind, we are going into their territory; they’re not going into ours. So, we don’t know how they’re going to react at that point. We had fellow police officers that were forced to put snipers out to keep us safe.”

Rodriguez, who was among the first divers in the water, said that the alligators stayed clear of the first responders, and they were able to pull both individuals who had been trapped from the car. One person did not survive their injuries, but Rodriguez said that the other person was taken to the hospital and has since recovered.

“I’m able to save someone, to get someone to be able to go home one more day and give their family and their loved ones a big hug and kiss,” he said. “That, to me, is priceless.”