I am writing to commend Constable Justin Talsma of the Central Hastings Detachment of the OPP.
He was the first responder to an emergency at our residence in Marmora. He was calm, and responsive to the situation. My son had numerous cuts to his body but was conscious. As I held a compression bandage to his neck, Justin stopped the bleeding on his left wrist. Justin kept talking quietly to keep my son awake and conscious. As other police officers arrived, he calmly briefed them on the other wounds that required compression. He was wonderful and only stopped when the paramedics arrived about 30 minutes later. He has a direct responsibility for my son being alive today. He remained on scene to assist the firefighters and to ensure that my wife and I were coping as well as possible under the circumstances.
I was very impressed, but even more impressed when he phoned me a few days later. He had taken the initiative to contact the hospital to check on my son’s condition and then reached out to see how my wife and I were managing. What a dedicated and compassionate person!
I am so thankful Constable Talsma was the first to respond in such a terrible situation.
