We recently began new series to highlight the law enforcement and first responders of our region. We call it “Beyond the Badge.” Not only do these men and women put their lives on the line to protect and preserve our public safety, often they achieve remarkable things away from their chosen field or perform acts of courage not typically in their job description - literally beyond the badge.
The night crew at the Great Falls Police Department is generally a lighthearted bunch. But when someone is in danger, they are all business, including Officer Paul Kummer.
He was recently dispatched to render aid to someone who wasn’t breathing. Another person was attempting to perform CPR when Officer Kummer noticed the person on the ground had the symptoms of an overdose and ran to his patrol car to grab a NARCAN kit.
“I gave him Narcan, felt for a pulse and didn't feel a pulse, so I started doing CPR and for about a minute and a half, and then I swapped out with his buddy,” said Kummer. “Then as soon as I swapped back out to do CPR again, he came back to life.”
It wasn’t the first time the former Montana Guardsman and 2011 CMR graduate came to the rescue.
In the winter of 2020, he responded to a call and found a suicidal woman on a steep, unstable cliff above the icy cold Missouri River.
“I don't think she responded to me at all when I just sat there and talked to her for, you know, climbed down a little bit and sat there and talked to her for fifteen minutes I think,” said Kummer. “I just didn’t want to see her go into the river.”
Kummer says the incident prompted the woman to seek treatment.
Officer Kummer is a family man with a supportive wife and two boys, aged 8 and 2. He says if his kids ever want to be in law enforcement he’d support them, much like a close family member did with him.
“I did six years in the Guard here, and then after that, I started getting interested in law enforcement,” said Kummer. “My uncle, Mike Stimac, was also a law enforcement officer here for 30 years.”
His superiors say Officer Kummer started out as a hard charger, like a dog who had to be reined in, but has come a long way in his six and half years on the force.
“In the last couple of years, he's matured quite a bit and he’s slowed down and doesn't outrun his headlights like he used to,” said Great Falls Police Department Seargent Joseph Dusatko. “But he was fun to train because he just brought an energy and an intensity that I hadn't seen really seen before in my training. So it was really cool.”
Officer Kummer credits the department’s leadership for giving him the training and resources to jump into action in life-or-death situations. Something the department says is more common than many people think.
“I mean, he's just one representative of the police department,” said Dusatko. “We have people here that do that stuff every day. These guys are out here being heroes. It's been my privilege to work with these guys.”
“I mean, it's just it's part of the job,” said Kummer. “So I'm just thankful that I get to help people and so that's just the rewarding aspect of it.”
If you know of a law enforcement officer or first responder you would like to see featured on our Beyond The Badge series, email us at krtvnews@krtv.com
Beyond The Badge: Tierney Wienholz
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