OLDS — Olds RCMP Cst. Tim Dulmage has been awarded his third gold Corporal Cumming's Watch Certificate of Recognition for efforts to keep impaired drivers off the road.
During his eight years with the detachment, Dulmage has received awards six times for those efforts.
Last year, he removed 29 impaired drivers from roads in Olds and area. In 2021, that figure was 34.
The Cpl. Cumming's Watch is a joint effort by Alberta RCMP and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Canada to support efforts to detect and remove impaired drivers from Alberta roads.
The award is named in honour of RCMP Cpl. Graeme Cumming, 37, who In August 1998, was struck and killed by an impaired driver while attending a traffic incident near Coalhurst, about 300 kilometres south of Olds.
Dulmage grew up near Ottawa.
During an interview with the Albertan, Dulmage was asked why he’s so dedicated to keeping impaired drivers off the road.
“Growing up, I always thought it's a very selfish thing to do,” he said.
“That kind of got reinforced when I got on the job and I saw some of the outcomes that came with it, some of the fatals and the serious incidents I've been to.”
He said no one in his family was affected by alcohol.
“There was no alcohol in my house growing up, just as a general rule, nobody I knew,” he said. “So I think it's one of those things where going to school, they reinforced those values and it just stuck with me.”
Dulmage does general traffic enforcement, focusing mainly on safety issues such as speed, cellphone use and seatbelt use. He says he’ll continue to focus on impaired drivers as well.
“It's something I do enjoy, and I think it contributes to an overall safety of the community,” he said.
Dulmage enjoys the Olds community.
“That's why I'm still here eight years later,” he said.
“It's been a really supportive community. It's been a great place to work and to raise my family.
“And throughout the almost decade I've been here, I've had really good co-workers to work with, and my detachment commanders and superiors have always been great to work under.”
Olds RCMP Cpl. Leif Svendsen is impressed with Dulmage.
“He's a professional and a subject matter expert when it comes to, I say, most things traffic related,” he said.
“He's a very much a self-starter, very motivated when it comes to road safety, education, when it comes to traffic-related matters, so the public is aware of what they're required to do, what they can't do on our roadways, that driving is a privilege.”
Svendsen said Dulmage does the other aspects of his job well too, but his efforts on traffic safety stand out.
“He just loves operations and work related to traffic, and he does a really, really good job of it,” Svendsen said.
“I consider him to be a subject matter expert in that field, that area, and he's a really good resource for our detachment because he shares information with our membership here at the attachment to increase their knowledge skills and abilities in relation to traffic-related functions and enforcement authorities.
“My hat’s off to him with respect to all the things he does for our detachment but also for our detachment area and the people who live here and travel through the area on the roadways.”
Svendsen said it’s a pleasure to have such an enthusiastic officer in the detachment.
“When you have motivated people who are easy to manage and who don't need to be, I guess, directed in terms of fulfilling their duties, it makes my job as a supervisor that much easier,” he said.
Svendsen said sometimes when on his way home after a shift, he’d see Dulmage out there following his passion.
“I'd see him monitoring highway 27 both in and inside and outside of Olds.
“When I passed by, I’d give him a wave, because he was out there waiting in those wee hours, around the time that bars would close and impaired drivers might be on the road.
“He'd be out there patrolling actively to keep our highways safe in our detachment area.
“And I know I’ve praised him for that many times and he deserves that praise as a result those actions.”
