Codie Land Recognized for 10 Years of Service
By: Shelia Mader
The Jackson County Board of County Commissioners paused during their full agenda Tuesday to recognize a decade of service from one of Jackson County Fire Rescue’s own. Paramedic Codie Land marked 10 years with JCFR this month, and his commitment to the profession has made a lasting impact on the community he serves.
Land’s dedication has been evident throughout his career, but one call in 2019 stands out. JCFR received a 9-1-1 mutual aid request from Calhoun County for a man suffering a severe stroke near Shelton’s Corner. The Alford station responded, with paramedic Codie Land and EMT Kristofer Baber arriving on scene. After assessing the patient, they quickly recognized the severity of the situation and made the critical decision to request a helicopter for immediate transport to Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare.
That decision proved lifesaving. Dr. Matthew Lawson of Tallahassee Memorial later shared his appreciation publicly. He explained that the patient was found to have both a right internal carotid artery occlusion and a right middle cerebral artery occlusion, a combination that can be fatal without rapid intervention. The medical team administered TPA and took the patient directly to the cath lab, where they successfully reopened the carotid artery and completely removed the clot from the middle cerebral artery.
When first responders found the patient, he could barely speak and his left side was paralyzed. Thanks to the swift actions taken in the field and the coordinated care that followed, he recovered and was able to go home.
Dr. Lawson credited the outcome to the early recognition and decisive action by Land and Baber, writing that their call to airlift the patient made all the difference and saved his life.
When contacted afterward, Land responded with characteristic humility. “We responded on a 911 mutual aid call from Calhoun County. We got there, assessed the situation and knew he was in trouble, so we called for LifeFlight. Just glad we got there in time and he’s going to be okay,” he said.
Ten years of service is an achievement worth celebrating. For Codie Land, it represents a decade of steady leadership, sound judgment, and quiet dedication to the people of Jackson County and beyond.
Congratulations to Codie Land on 10 years with Jackson County Fire Rescue. The Jackson County Times joins the community in thanking him for his service and wishing him many more years of continued success.
