Thomasville Mayor Greg Hobbs presented the prestigious Life Saving Award to Thomasville Police Department Officer Devin Tudor at the November 23rd City Council Meeting in recognition of his actions in a lifesaving situation.
“It is an honor to recognize Officer Tudor for the exceptional efforts he displayed recently that resulted in saving the life of one of our citizens,” said Mayor Hobbs. “Our officers prove time and time again that they are physically and mentally prepared to keep our citizens safe while always upholding their exceptional level of professionalism.”
According to TPD Major Shane Harris, Officer Tudor responded to a call on October 3, 2020, in response to an individual who had experienced a fall. “When Officer Tudor and his partner, Officer Brandon Burden, arrived, they found a gentleman who was fading in and out of consciousness,” he said. “Luckily, Officer Tudor is a trained Emergency Medical Technician, so he could perform an assessment that included a sternum rub, to which the citizen responded with pain.”
Officer Tudor agrees that his medical training was key in helping the citizen on this particular call. “After we arrived on the scene, the initial assessment showed that the gentleman’s pulse was fading and he began to have trouble breathing,” said Tudor. “Fortunately, as a certified advanced EMT, I recognized his immediate need for CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) and began the life-saving measures. After executing three cycles of CPR we were able to resuscitate the citizen and transfer patient care to the arriving Thomas County Emergency Medical Services(TCEMS) team.”
Harris takes pride in the vast amount of crisis response training that all TPD officers receive. “Our officers must remain calm and apply critical thinking in times of crisis, especially when it comes to life-saving measures,” he said. “In this situation, Officer Tudor applied the vast array of his training and skills. Above all, he displayed the empathy and compassion that guides him as an officer of TPD.”
“I am truly blessed to work in a community that I love,” said Tudor. “TPD and paramedics E.J. Jones and Rachel Stroh of TCEMS executed a cohesive effort to save this gentleman’s life, and he is alive today because of that effort. That’s what serving our community is all about.”
“We are proud to recognize Officer Tudor for the exceptional service and leadership he exhibited in this cooperative lifesaving effort between TPD and TCEMS,” said Harris. “TPD is thankful for the commitment that is consistently displayed by our officers and our partners with TCEMS to serve our community with dedication and selflessness.”