'It's a girl': HPD gifts first officer Stork Award in 18 years after policeman delivers baby

It wasn’t Helena police officer John Strandberg’s first time catching a baby, but it was by far the least expected time.

Strandberg, 32, was only two blocks away when the 911 call came in on an August evening.

“I’ve got a girl screaming on the phone,” dispatch relayed. “Oh — baby’s coming!”

As a former paramedic, firefighter and EMT, one always assumes the worst going into a call, Strandberg said. He has been on plenty of assignments involving pregnant women, ready to find a newborn then and there. More often than not, he only ends up talking a mother down from early contractions.

But when he entered the caller’s house near Helena Middle School, his urgency was well met: there, in the living room, this baby was coming.

Not in an hour. Not in 30 minutes. Now.

It was pure luck that Strandberg, medically trained since high school, had been the Helena Police Department officer to respond, he said.

At most emergencies, HPD is the first to arrive, he said. Firefighters have medical professionals on board, but there are fewer engines for them to drive in on, and St. Peter’s EMTs are often juggling several calls of their own.

HPD officers aren’t required to have all the training Strandberg has, but they can give other first responders early assessments during the handoff. On plenty of calls, Strandberg had been able to provide some basics, whether it be symptoms, allergies, ages or even just the patient’s name.

For the record, while he had helped deliver babies before, he usually wasn't the star of the show, he said. The last babies he delivered were his children in a hospital, surrounded by professionals.

On this particular August call, Strandberg had the honor of talking the woman through birth while waiting for Helena Fire and St. Peter’s to arrive while two or three of his fellow officers watched from the sidelines. It was only a few minutes, but that was long enough.

And when the baby came? Slimy, he noted.

“Here you go, Mom,” Strandberg said, handing the infant into the mother’s outstretched arms. “It’s a girl.”

For his work, Strandberg was given a Stork Award on May 1, when HPD had an award ceremony to honor accomplishments over the past year.

The rare Stork Award is more often given to a dispatch agent who talks parents through birth over the phone, Capt. Adam Shanks said. Strandberg's award was the first he'd seen gifted to an officer in 18 years.

The officers celebrated with pink bubblegum cigars, "It's a girl" scrawled across the side. It was a fun moment, but nothing will quite beat the night itself.

"My whole adult life has been dedicated to helping people, as cheesy as it is," Strandberg said.

In emergency services, he's often responding to the worst day of someone's life. Calls like that August night can be a bright spot, a "once in a career" highpoint where he can see his impact right in front of his eyes, he said.

"It was pretty cool," Strandberg said, a big grin on his face. "It's pretty awesome."