City of Fort Walton Beach recognizes officer whose emergency response helped save local man’s life
Fort Walton Beach, Florida – Five months can make a lifesaving moment feel distant. For one Fort Walton Beach family, however, an April medical emergency returned to the spotlight this week for a very different reason, recognition of the officer who helped keep a man alive.
Fort Walton Beach Police Department Corporal Thomas Zbikowski received a lifesaving award during Tuesday night’s City Council meeting, honoring his response to a cardiac arrest call that required roughly 30 minutes of emergency treatment.
The incident happened on April 14, 2026, when Zbikowski responded to a report of a man suffering cardiac arrest. Personnel from Okaloosa County EMS and firefighters with the Ocean City-Wright Fire Control District also arrived to assist.
Working together, the first responders performed CPR and used an automated external defibrillator, or AED, as they continued lifesaving measures for approximately half an hour.
The man they were treating, Brian Meier, survived.
About five months later, Meier and members of his family were inside the Fort Walton Beach City Council Chamber as Zbikowski was formally recognized for his role in the emergency response. Their presence connected the award directly to the person whose life the responders had worked to save.
The recognition also highlighted Zbikowski’s long record with the Fort Walton Beach Police Department. He has served with the department for nearly 15 years.
Beyond his regular police duties, Zbikowski serves as the department’s tactical first aid instructor. In that role, he provides training to fellow officers who may have to deliver emergency medical care while responding to active shooter situations.
The combination of that training and his response on April 14 became the focus of Tuesday’s recognition.
The City of Fort Walton Beach congratulated Zbikowski on receiving the lifesaving award and thanked him for his service and dedication to the community.
For Meier and his family, the ceremony also provided a chance to return under far better circumstances, not to an emergency scene, but to a City Council meeting where one
