Capt. Robert Melendez, known around the firehouse as Rob, has stepped away from Weston Fire Station 55 after 46 years of public service. That run began in 1980 on a Marine Corps flight line and ended on the streets of western Broward. On September 28, the City of Weston named him the September 2026 Employee of the Month for BSO Fire Rescue, which also served as his send-off into retirement.

Most people only see a fire captain when something has gone wrong: smoke in a kitchen, a parent on the floor, a car in a canal. Melendez spent nearly half a century being the person who showed up at those moments, and the city used its recognition to lay out how he got there.

It started on a runway

The career began in 1980, when Melendez joined the U.S. Marine Corps and was assigned to aircraft firefighting. That is a narrow and unforgiving trade. Crews stand by on the flight line for crashes and fuel fires, and speed is everything when an aircraft is burning.

That background carried over to civilian work. In December 1993 Broward County hired him as an airport firefighter. Over the next nearly 33 years he moved up through almost every rung of the fire service ladder: firefighter, driver-engineer, crash truck operator, lieutenant and finally captain. The crash truck assignment is worth noting. It is the airport version of the work he first learned in uniform, so in a sense he went back to where he started before moving into command.

Station 55, Weston

His final assignment was Weston Fire Station 55, where he served as company officer. On a fire engine, that means the captain runs the crew. He decides how they attack a call, keeps them safe, and is the person residents talk to when the truck pulls up. According to the city, that included mentoring younger firefighters and backing up the crew under his command, not only directing them.

Weston does not run its own fire department. The city contracts with the Broward Sheriff's Office for fire rescue and emergency medical services, staffed out of four city-owned stations that are open around the clock. The Weston district holds an ISO Public Protection Classification of 1, the top rating available, which can translate into lower fire insurance premiums for homeowners. Ratings like that come from equipment and response times, but they also come from officers like Melendez who keep a crew ready on an ordinary Tuesday.

His career also covered decades of change in the job itself. When he started, emergency medical care, radio systems and firefighting gear looked very different from what rolls out of a Weston station today. The city noted that through all of it he stayed focused on the people the work is for, both the residents and his own firefighters.

The family behind the badge

The recognition also credited his wife, his children and his extended family. Forty-six years of military and fire service means a long list of missed holidays, overnight shifts and phone calls that interrupt dinner. The city's account of the evening made a point of naming that sacrifice, and his family joined him and Fire Chief Todd Draizin in front of the commission for photos.

Draizin, who leads BSO Fire Rescue's Weston operation, spoke about Melendez's legacy during the presentation. In short, Melendez hoped to be remembered as a firefighter who came when called, a captain who looked after his crew, and someone who left each station in better shape than he found it.

Same night, a new class of helpers

Melendez was not the only person thanked for public service that evening. The city also recognized its newest graduating class of the Community Emergency Response Team, known as CERT. These are ordinary Weston residents who spent four Thursday evenings, more than 30 hours in total, learning disaster preparedness, fire safety, how to shut off utilities, disaster first aid, light search and rescue, and how to organize a team when things go sideways.

The timing of the two recognitions fits. A professional firefighter with 46 years in is leaving, and a group of neighbors trained to help bridge the gap before professional crews arrive is starting. After a hurricane or a long power outage, CERT members may be the ones checking on an elderly neighbor, putting out a small fire or keeping serious bleeding under control until an engine can get there. Draizin credited Assistant District Chief Gary Harrington and Program Manager Richelle Levy with running the program.

Residents interested in joining a future CERT class can call BSO Fire Rescue at 954-389-2090, according to the city's CERT program page. Between emergencies, members also help with smoke alarm installs, battery swaps for older residents and support at community events.

What it means if you live in Weston

Most Weston residents will never learn the names of the crew that runs out of the station nearest their house, and that is usually a good sign. The full account of Melendez's career is on the City of Weston's news page. If Station 55 has ever pulled up to your street, part of what you saw came from a captain who learned his trade on a Marine runway in 1980. If you want to carry some of that forward, the next CERT class is a phone call away.