The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and Kevin Berthia both recognized the life-saving efforts of Kevin Briggs, the “Guardian of the Golden Gate Bridge,” last week at a public service ceremony.
Last week, Kevin Berthia got a chance to publicly thank the man who saved his life over eight years ago. At a ceremony organized by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Berthia was able to give Kevin Briggs an award for his diligence and compassion in preventing suicides.
California Highway Patrol (CHP) Sargeant Briggs is known among his colleagues for his ability to connect with people who attempt to jump from the Golden Gate Bridge, and none knows this better than Berthia, who had been ready to jump in March 2005.
“He never made me feel guilty for being in the situation I was in. He made me feel like, ‘I understand why you are here, but there are alternatives,'” Berthia said. “That an individual who doesn’t even know me could listen to me and hear my story and show me compassion gave me another reason maybe to try again.”
Now, eight years later, Berthia is happily married with two children and eternally grateful to the man who transformed his life.
At the ceremony for the California Highway Patrol, Berthia was nervous about reuniting with Briggs after so long. “I didn’t know what I was going to feel, or how I was going to react,” he said. “But when I first saw him, he walked up [to] me and I just shook his hand. It felt like I had known this man my whole life. The nerves weren’t there. It was just two old friends being reunited.”
That is Briggs’ gift—compassion and connection. Briggs has been dubbed the “Guardian of the Golden Gate Bridge” for saving hundreds of lives in his more than 20 years on the patrol.
Despite 33 confirmed suicides last year at the bridge, which is one of the world’s most active suicide locations, there were also 86 successful interventions. CHP officers are always watching pedestrians for those who seem distraught or who stop for a long time on the bridge without a camera. Officer Sandro Salvetti starts with small-talk to figure out a person’s mental state: “”I’ve had people laugh at me, and they are like, `No, I was just waiting for this boat to come by’ or to see this flock of birds. Others will look at me and start crying.”
Briggs and the other members of the CHP each have their own way of talking to people ready to take the plunge—there is no scripted intervention, and if one person cannot connect, another officer will come in—and over the years they have saved thousands of lives.
“What I’d like to get across now is the amount of people I work with and what they go through with these efforts,” Briggs said last year. “We really do try to help the people out there. Each situation is independent of the other. I just try to get to the heart of the matter in each case, and I would expect my officers do the same.”
If you are concerned that you or someone you know may be having suicidal thoughts, we urge you to see help. In the U.S. and Canada, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-TALK (8255). In the U.K., call the Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90.
Photo: Eric Risberg/AP
The good news is that you really only need to cover one side of the bridge. Nine out of ten jumpers and would-be jumpers use the northbound side. They seem to prefer to face the city instead of facing the ocean. Some understanding of statistics and psychology could be very useful here.