Fortuna officer thanked by man whose life he saved

FORTUNA, CA. – Officer Jordan Walstrom received the Life Saving Award on Tuesday evening from Fortuna City Council and Police Chief Bill Dobberstein.

Walstrom was first to respond to a medical emergency last month when a man started heavily bleeding post-surgery.

As a former Eureka paramedic – Walstrom used his medical background to keep the man stable until an ambulance arrived.

We spoke with the hero, who described the experience.

“I happened to be standing near the dispatch center when the call came in. I read the call on the screen and ran to the Sergeant and said we are going to be quicker than the ambulance, can we go? He said of course, so we rushed there,” said Officer Walstrom, “It just felt like coming to work and doing what I was supposed to do and doing my job.”

The man Officer Walstrom saved was in the audience and thanked him.

Officer Walstrom joined the Fortuna Police Department in November, with help of the city’s Measure E sales tax funds.

He is also a Loleta Volunteer Firefighter, and hopes to one day during his career work with police K-9s.