Havre dispatcher honored for preventing suicide

Havre Police Department Dispatcher Brenda Kadrmas says she wasn't nervous when a Hi-Line resident called her and said he was going to commit suicide.

She said she just put her extensive training to work and added in some intuition to dissuade the man from taking his own life.

During a 30-minute period, Kadrmas acted calmly and professionally, Police Chief Gabe Matosich said.

Her actions won her a commendation from Matosich and a standing ovation from City Council members and the audience at Monday night's council meeting.

Matosich told council that on May 15 at 6:49 p.m., a man called 911 and promptly hung up. Kadrmas immediately called the man back. The caller told her that he was in bed with a gun pointed to his head and was going to kill himself.

She was disconnected several times, but each time managed to call the man back.

At the same time, she dispatched Hill County Sheriff's Deputy Tanner Donovan and a medical unit to the location in rural Hill County.

Several times she convinced the man to put the gun down, but each time he picked it up again.

The deputies arrived at 7:21 p.m., and the man was taken to the hospital.

Donovan said the man told him that "if it wasn't for the lady he talked to on the phone, he would have killed himself."

"This was the closest he had ever come to killing himself," Donovan said, "but Brenda talked him out of it and gave him someone to talk to."

Matosich said the 10-year department veteran has sought over the years to take advantage of training opportunities to improve her technical and communications skills.

"Brenda is to be commended for her quick response and actions which reflect positively upon her, the department and the City of Havre," Matosich wrote.

"This shows once again that dispatchers are the first first-responders," he said.

Kadrmas said she wasn't nervous when the incident took place, that her training on how to handle suicides kicked in along with common sense on how to handle this particular case.

"I just have some tricks in my bag," she said after the meeting.

"The adrenaline kick afterward was worth it," she said.