Tulsa Police Officer R. Brown’s Quick Thinking Saved a Citizens Life

01/26/2015 – Earlier this week Officer R. Brown was the first officer on the scene of a motor vehicle accident with serious injuries. Upon his arrival Ofc. Brown immediately recognized that one of the patients had an open femur fracture and that this fracture had severed the femoral artery. With the help of an as-of-yet unidentified but awesome citizen, Ofc. Brown quickly applied a Combat Application Tourniquet to the patient’s injured leg which helped greatly in stemming the high volume of blood loss. In addition to the tourniquet Ofc. Brown also packed the open wound with Quikclot Combat Gauze. The blood-stopping agent in this specialized gauze went the rest of the way in shutting down this life-threatening bleed.

TFD Engine 4 arrived very shortly after and with everyone working together they provided more care for this patient. As soon as it was possible the patient’s care was passed on to EMSA medics for further treatment and transport to a local hospital.

The care that Ofc. Brown provided on this call is an incredible example of quick thinking and keeping calm under pressure. Ofc. Brown’s effort, along with the awesome work of Tulsa firefighters and EMSA medics, provided this patient not just with their saved life but also with the best possible chance of a full and fast recovery.

A huge thank you also to the Good Samaritan who stopped and helped during this incident. You did a great job and were equally responsible for helping to save this patient’s life. Thank you for your caring and for your courage.

As horribly unpleasant as this incident was it should serve as a fantastic reminder to all that when we all work together we can make some truly amazing things happen…