A Snohomish County Sheriff’s Deputy has been named “officer of the year” for his actions in the aftermath of the Oso landslide.
Deputy Glen Bergstrom received the honor Friday from the Washington Council of Police and Sheriffs.
Bergstrom lives near the slide zone was alerted to the disaster last March by his wife. He immediately headed for the scene.
“As I came over Skaglund Hill and at the bottom of the hill there was a house in the middle of the road and it was heavily damaged and as far as I could see to the east was a sea of mud,” Bergstrom recalled. “That was the moment that I thought wow this is enormous, this is huge.”
Bergstrom is credited with calling in a helicopter and jet fuel and helping to coordinate the rescue of survivors. He was also there the day, months later, when the last of the 43 who died was recovered.
Bergstrom says he was just doing his job. He plans to retire later this year.
