First Responder Friday: Robert Bryan

FLORENCE, S.C. (WBTW) — It’s time for another edition of First Responder Friday as News13 honors Grand Strand and Pee Dee first responders.

This week’s nominee is Robert Bryan, a former Senior Master Patrol Officer with the Florence Police Department.

After 11 years in the traffic division, Bryan’s career was cut short in 2007 when a traffic stop went wrong.

“I was actually training a gentleman,” Bryan recalled. “During the training, I was doing a traffic stop, and a lady threw me up on the hood, into the windshield, and about 20 feet in the air. That finally retired me out.”

After the incident, Bryan spent almost a year in a wheelchair, facing the difficult reality that he could no longer serve as a police officer.

“At first, it was hard,” he admitted. “That was my identity, that’s what I did. I loved my community, and for a long time, I wasn’t able to do anything.”

While his devastating injury may have forced him to leave law enforcement, Bryan never gave up on his desire to give back to the community.

“Just because your career ends doesn’t mean you can’t still help your community,” he said.

It wasn’t long before Bryan found a new purpose — cooking. Turning to his passion for preparing meals, he started cooking for local nonprofits and community events.

“People needed somebody to cook, and they said, ‘Would you cook for us?’ I said, ‘You buy the food, and I’ll come donate my time,’” he said.

Now, Bryan regularly hauls his custom-built cooking trailer to community events across Florence, feeding hundreds at a time.

“It made more sense to me that, you know what, you can still help and serve people,” Bryan said. “And I kept it up, and it’s grown everywhere, and now I love it. People call us, ‘Hey, you mind cooking for me?’ ‘Absolutely. Where you want me at?'”

The gatherings Bryan helps to feed are more than just meals — they are opportunities for the community to connect.

“I enjoy watching people eat,’ he said. “Something about gathering and eating, everybody just has a good time with it.”

But Bryan’s trailer carries more than food. It serves as a rolling memorial to the fallen officers of the Florence Police Department.

“As much as I hate adding names to it,” Bryan said. “These are ones that did the ultimate sacrifice. They died in the line of duty protecting our community. And this is my way of giving back to the families, and everybody can see them.”

For Bryan, cooking has become more than just a way to serve meals, it’s a way to continue making a difference. Every time he cooks for an event, the names of Florence’s fallen officers are displayed on his trailer, reminding the community of the sacrifices made by law enforcement officers.

“It’s a harsh reality for law enforcement, and people don’t understand,” Bryan said. “Just because they wore a uniform, they’re still people. They have families, they have children. Any day could be our last day.”

For Bryan, life after law enforcement is not just about what he lost. It’s about what he can still give.

“It gives me a purpose. I know I’m giving back to my community,” he said. “No, it’s not the same aspect as I was in law enforcement, but this makes a world of difference to a lot of people.”

If you would like to nominate someone for First Responder Friday, send an email to news@wbtw.com. Tell us why you chose that person and attach a photo.

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Savannah Denton joined News 13 in July 2023 as a reporter and producer. Savannah is from Atlanta, Georgia, and is a graduate of the University of Alabama. Follow Savannah on X, formerly Twitter, and read more of her work here .

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