Orlando Health Melbourne Hospital Honors Melbourne Firefighters

Published on October 07, 2026

This morning, leadership from Orlando Health Melbourne Hospital presented four Melbourne firefighters with Phoenix Awards for their rapid action and exceptional clinical care that saved a man’s life.

The Phoenix Award recognizes emergency personnel, dispatchers, and community members whose actions help successfully resuscitate a patient from sudden cardiac arrest. Orlando Health created the Phoenix Award to honor the entire “chain of survival,” from 911 dispatchers providing CPR instructions to bystanders, first responders, and hospital teams whose coordinated efforts help a cardiac arrest patient survive and recover with good neurological function. 

In June, Driver Engineer Jack Hozdish, Firefighter Paramedic Zachary James, Firefighter Paramedic Joshua Bush, and Firefighter Paramedic Tyler Woodruff responded to a call for help from a resident who found his friend unresponsive at home. They immediately performed CPR and other lifesaving measures. Working with Brevard County Fire Rescue, who also responded to the call for help, they were able to regain a pulse and normal heart rhythm. Brevard County Fire Rescue took him to Orlando Health Melbourne Hospital where their doctors and care team took over. An EKG showed he had a massive heart attack. The cardiac team worked quickly to place a stent in the blocked artery and restore blood flow to the heart. A few days later, he was taken off life support, found to have no neurological damage, and returned home to his family. 

“The Phoenix Award recognizes something we see firsthand every day in emergency medicine: lives are saved when highly trained EMS professionals and hospital teams work together as one," said Ron Gicca, president at Orlando Health Melbourne Hospital. "From the moment a 911 call is placed to the care delivered in the emergency department, every second matters. The actions of Melbourne Fire Rescue's EMS team gave this patient the best possible chance for survival and combined with the seamless coordination between EMS and Orlando Health Melbourne Hospital caregivers, demonstrate the critical role teamwork plays in achieving the best possible outcomes for our patients.”

The Melbourne Fire Department’s eight fire stations are strategically located throughout the City in order to provide immediate assistance to residents in need of emergency medical care. All stations are licensed in advanced life support and are staffed by skilled paramedics.

The Phoenix Award symbolizes life — and the gift of a second chance. It honors those whose skills, dedication, and teamwork make that second chance possible. The award can be given to first responders, including paramedics, EMTs, firefighters, and law enforcement officers; 911 telecommunicators who provide lifesaving pre-arrival instructions; and bystanders who perform early CPR or use an automated external defibrillator (AED) before professional help arrives.

From left to right, Orlando Health Melbourne Hospital President Ron Gicca, Firefighter Paramedic Joshua Bush, Firefighter Paramedic Zachary James, Driver Engineer Jack Hozdish, Fire Chief Shane Leech, and City Manager Jenni Lamb. (Firefighter Paramedic Tyler Woodruff also received the Phoenix Award but was unable to attend the ceremony.)