Wisconsin police Explorer saves fellow student from choking

Emergencies happen when and where you least expect them.

Like on March 22 in the high school cafeteria of Central High School in La Crosse, Wis. Freshman Ian Brown was enjoying lunch when his classmate began to choke.

Other students thought Will Olson was being funny, but Ian spotted a change in the color of Will’s neck.

As a Law Enforcement Explorer with the La Crosse Police Department, Ian had been trained on what to do next.

He jumped up and began to administer abdominal thrusts — upward motions meant to dislodge foreign objects stuck in the airway.

Thankfully, the object was expelled, and Ian escorted Will to the nurse’s office.

School nurse Kim Mahlum later said Brown’s training as a Law Enforcement Explorer had been critical during a “very dangerous situation.”

Law Enforcement Exploring trains young men and young women in first aid, community policing, investigations, conducting a traffic stop and more. Explorers experience firsthand what it’s like to be an officer of the law, preparing them for a career in law enforcement.

Learn more about Law Enforcement Exploring and Exploring’s 11 other career fields at Exploring.org.

Watch what happened

The whole thing was captured on the school’s security cameras:


About Bryan Wendell 3282 Articles
Bryan Wendell, an Eagle Scout, is the founder of Bryan on Scouting and a contributing writer.