Heroic Madison firefighters honored for saving life, presented with Star of Life Award

MADISON – While most people were opening gifts and relaxing at home on Christmas Day 2025, firefighters with Madison Fire and Rescue Department were at work and responded to an emergency call that led to saving a man’s life.

For the heroic actions, Firefighter Jacob Espitia, Captain Brent Rhodes and Driver Bryant Smith received the Star of Life Award. This honor may be awarded to anyone who is successful in saving a life while medical interventions are ongoing.

These first responders were honored with the Star of Life Award during a recent Madison City Council meeting.

In addition, employees with Huntsville Emergency Medical Services or HEMSI who responded to the emergency were Robert Roth, Colin Barnes, Amber Aranda and John Blankenship.

“When we were notified from dispatch that it was a possible cardiac arrest, our minds changed gears. We train to be the best at what we do,” Rhodes said.

“We arrived on scene with a job to do. We ALL had a specific job to do during that time. When we arrived at the patient’s side, we went to work, and we worked hard,” Rhodes said.

“We worked as a team with our members from Madison Fire and HEMSI,” Rhodes said. “That is why we had a successful outcome.”

Rhodes joined the Madison firefighters in April 2008. He decided to become a firefighter later in life.

“I met my wife while I was at the University of Alabama at Birmingham or UAB in business school. I finished college and began working in the corporate world. I then began volunteering as a firefighter and fell in love with it,” Rhodes said.

Rhodes returned to college to qualify as a paramedic and decided to join the fire service. “After I began working at Madison Fire and Rescue, I went back to college and obtained a degree in emergency management,” he said.

“I always thought that being a firefighter would be the greatest job in the world. Helping people in their time of need has always been a part of who I am. I have never looked back. It’s more to me than a job,” Rhodes said.

At Station 2, Rhodes works as Engine 2 Captain on ‘B’ Shift.

Brewton is Rhodes’ hometown, and he graduated from W. S. Neal High School in Brewton. Along with UAB, he studied at Athens State University.

His wife, Lindsay Rhodes, is a Certified Public Accountant. Their children are Lucas, 14 years old and an eighth-grader; and triplets Carson, Grayson and Sophia, 13-year-old seventh-graders.

“Our work schedules allow us the ability to homeschool our children, which has been a blessing,” Brent said.

Bryant Smith said Engine 2 and Squad 2 were dispatched for the possible cardiac arrest. “We arrived on scene with HEMSI. Patient care was initiated quickly.”

“Madison Fire along with HEMSI provided a high level of care to the patient that thankfully resulted in a positive outcome. Everyone performed their job well by working together as a team,” Smith said.

Smith’s work with Madison Fire started in January 2014. “When I was growing up, my dad was a firefighter for the City of Madison, so I had a lot of exposure to the fire department from a young age,” Smith said. “Watching my dad serve his community, I knew I always wanted a career where I could give back to my community and work within a team.”

Smith works at Station 2 on ‘B’ shift. “Out of that station, we have an engine and a squad. We often interchange personnel so any of us could be on either apparatus,” he said.

A native of Madison, Smith graduated from Bob Jones High School. His wife, Shelby Smith, works for COPT Defense Properties at Redstone Gateway. The Smiths’ daughters are Kennedy, a first-grader at Creekside Elementary School, and three-year-old Blake who attends day care in Madison.

Jacob Espitia said, “What led to saving a life was putting all our training and long hours spent in school practicing how to save a life. It’s not just something you learn once and you’re perfect at it . . . you are constantly learning new things in the EMS field.”

Espitia is originally from California. He started working for Madison Fire and Rescue Department in March 2025.

“I wanted to be a firefighter because I wanted a stable and fun job where I could work with awesome people that I could call family; be happy when I showed up to work; wake up and look forward to going into work that morning; work out and do physical work that not only is fun but are good skills to have in life, such as using a chainsaw or power tools; and really put my mind and body to its full limits mentally and physically,” Espitia said.

Espitia works at Station 2 on ‘B’ shift. His company officer is Captain Brent Rhodes.