Lake County Fire Rescue, Minneola Fire Department, and Lake County Sheriff’s Office have accepted the Phoenix Award from Orlando Health South Lake Hospital for rising to the call for action by assisting in saving a Lake County visitor’s life.
The Minneola Fire Department crew, consisting of Captain/Paramedic Daniel DiBiasie, Firefighter/EMT Ricardo Orsini, Lt/Paramedic Daniel Meehan, and Firefighter/Paramedic Sean Wilkins worked alongside the Lake County Fire Rescue Team, which included Lt/Paramedic Luis Ramirez and EMT Alberto Forte, to respond to a call for a patient in cardiac arrest. Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy First Class Devin Rawson responded to the call and was on scene. Once on scene, the crews began CPR and resuscitation efforts, resulting in the return of normal heart activity and circulation. Thanks to their quick thinking and fast response, the patient was safely transported to Orlando Health South Lake. He returned home after hospital care without any neurological deficits.
“In times of crisis, the effectiveness of the chain-of-survival for a patient hinges on the seamless collaboration of the caller, 911 dispatcher, and multiple agencies and departments,” David Kilbury, Public Safety Director for Lake County, stated. “We take immense pride in all of our public safety partners to obtain such a positive outcome for this patient, for their dedication and proficiency to bring calm and definitive care in times of crisis such as this, exemplifies the heart and dedication of our community’s true heroes.”
The Phoenix Award recognizes lifesaving events involving the resuscitation of a patient before arriving at the emergency room; the patient must be discharged without neurological complications.
“Administering the necessary care before presenting to an emergency department is vital when it comes to saving lives,” said Andrew Johnson, EMT-P, emergency medical services liaison for Orlando Health South Lake. “EMT’s and paramedics are able to connect the frontlines of crises to emergency departments where the care continues. We are so grateful to have them as true partners in helping patients heal and preventing loss of life.”