Red Cross honors Seminole County firefighter for drowning prevention work

The Red Cross put Chris Martin’s drowning-prevention work in the spotlight as Seminole County headed deeper into pool season, honoring the firefighter-paramedic for helping push water safety, CPR training and home alarm use after the death of his son, Gunner Martin, in the family pool on April 6, 2016.

Martin received the First Responder Hero Award from the American Red Cross Central Florida Coast Chapter during its 2nd Annual Great Orlando Salute to Heroes Breakfast in Orlando. The recognition followed a path that began with personal loss and grew into public service: Martin joined the Seminole County Fire Department in 2022 and later became a paramedic, while continuing to speak with families about pediatric drowning prevention and pool safety across Seminole County.

The stakes are high in a state where drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 4. Local reporting in 2023 said Seminole County had already recorded four pediatric drowning fatalities that year, while Florida had 34 pediatric drownings at that point. In a county fire system that serves nearly a half-million residents, operates 21 fire stations and responds to more than 50,000 incidents a year, officials have treated that toll as a public-safety emergency, not a private tragedy.

Martin and his wife, Christina, have also been central to the Gunner Martin Foundation, which helps fund and distribute free door alarms and educates residents about layers of protection against pediatric drownings. Seminole County partnered with the foundation in 2023 to distribute 100 free pool and door alarms through the Central Branch Library in Casselberry on a first-come, first-served basis, while county officials sought additional national grant funding to expand the alarm program and outreach.

Fire Chief Matt Kinley publicly thanked the Martin family and the foundation for helping raise awareness, and County Commission Chairman Andria Herr said Martin’s leadership had strengthened public safety efforts in the community. Martin has also received Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ Florida Heroes Award and the Children’s Safety Village First Responder Award for Seminole County, but the message behind each honor has stayed the same: a child can drown in ordinary moments, and prevention has to start before the water is full.