Photo L to R: Second Chief Louis Hicks, Darren Delaune, Emergency Management Supervisor James Nichols & Principal Chief James R. Floyd.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan. 25, 2019
Muscogee (Creek) Citizen, Employee Recognized for Saving Citizen’s Life
OKMULGEE, Okla. – The Muscogee (Creek) Nation presented an Outstanding Service award to Darren Delaune, a citizen and employee of the Nation, for the heroism he displayed while saving the life of another citizen.
It was Delaune’s quick response and CPR training from the MCN Office of Emergency Management that saved a citizen’s life on Dec. 5, 2018.
Delaune, a Mvskoke Media reporter, was interviewing the citizen for his newspaper article when the citizen began experiencing a medical episode. Delaune performed CPR and tended to them until the ambulance arrived.
Since that day, the Office of Principal Chief and Second Chief began planning a recognition ceremony to present Delaune with the award for Recognition of Outstanding Service for performing a selfless act of heroism while on the job by demonstrating his resourcefulness of CPR to save a life.
Principal Chief James R. Floyd and Second Chief Louis Hicks presented Delaune with the award and thanked him for the selfless act.
“Personally, I am very pleased,” Principal Chief Floyd said. “We talk about helping each other and you really demonstrated it. It’s a unique opportunity to be able to recognize somebody for doing something as significant as this and I think sometimes we overlook it. So, we wanted to make sure we presented this to Darren [Delaune] because you saved somebody’s life.”
During the ceremony, Principal Chief Floyd noted the significance of the life-saving event, as Delaune was interviewing the citizen for the work they’re doing on a project with the Mvskoke Language Program.
The Mvskoke Language Program has been working with the citizen on a project to create an audio recording of The New Testament of the Holy Bible in the Mvskoke language.
“This wasn’t just an ordinary thing,” Principal Chief Floyd said. “You helped preserve the life of the person who is preserving the language and for everybody in the Nation. So, I am very proud of you.”
The Office of Emergency Management Supervisor James Nichols also praised Delaune for his actions.
“It’s all about early recognition and starting your training as quick as possible to save somebodies life and that’s what you were taught in our class and that’s what you put to use,” Nichols said. “So, I’m proud of you and everybody is.”
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