'Guardian of Gate' shares tips on preventing suicide
For two decades, Kevin Briggs patrolled one of San Francisco's most famous landmarks.
For more than 200 people, he served as the bridge between hope and despair.
The man who retired in late 2013 from the California Highway Patrol now tours the country speaking as an advocate for suicide prevention. Friday, he spoke to students and later adults at Elmira High School and Saturday he will lead the "Walk A Mile in My Shoes" suicide prevention walk at Eldridge Park.
Brian Hart, director of community services for the Chemung County Department of Mental Hygiene, said this is the 10th year of suicide prevention efforts by his agency.
"In celebration of that, we are doing our walk at Eldridge Park and we wanted to bring something bigger into the community," he said of bringing in Briggs who will also speak briefly and lead Saturday's walk.
Briggs is known as the "Guardian of the Golden Gate." A book of the same name is scheduled for release in July that chronicles his experiences with people preparing to jump to their deaths into San Francisco Bay. He claims he lost only two of them.
"Personally, I don't think I saved anybody. I was a conduit," Briggs told the student assembly.
On a large screen, he showed a 2005 picture of then 22-year-old Kevin Berthia balancing on a narrow rail 220 feet about the cold bay currents, contemplating jumping. Next, he showed a 2013 photo of the same man, in a tuxedo, at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention's Lifesavers Dinner, where he presented Briggs a public service award.
"He decided that day on his own to come back over," Briggs said.
He said more than 2,000 people have jumped to their deaths from the bridge, which opened in 1937.
In his public talks, including Elmira, Briggs speaks of one of them, Jason Garber, 32, of New Jersey. He and other officers spoke for an hour with Garber on the bridge in July 2013. He said it was Garber's third flight west to the bridge to attempt suicide. He said Garber asked officers if they knew the story of "Pandora's Box" and what if hope isn't there when you open it. He then jumped.
Briggs has said he had no training in suicide prevention when he began patrolling the bridge, but in the last years of his 23 years of service, when he was a sergeant, he was training other officers how to work with suicidal people.
He has said he has spent 10 minutes to seven hours on the bridge with people contemplating suicide. A key is listening, he said. He said Berthia, for example, spent 90 minutes pouring his heart out while Briggs said he only talked for four or five minutes.
On Friday, he shared advice with students if they encounter someone contemplating suicide.
He suggested having a conversation, not an interrogation. "Do it one on one. You are asking someone to bare their soul. It gets highly emotional. Do it one on one where they feel comfortable," he said.
He said ask the person to look at their whole life as a book and tell them this moment is just a "crappy chapter" that they can get through.
If they admit, when asked, that they have had thoughts about killing themselves, ask them for how long and if they have a plan how to do it.
If the person is highly emotional, don't ask complex questions right away. Let some time pass.
He also said to pay attention to the little things that people might do or say that seem out of character, as that may be a warning sign.
Several Notre Dame High School students attended the program, including freshman Seamus O'Brian. "He really told me how common suicidal thoughts are and he explained how to deal with them. I think it was overall an amazing experience."
Allya Stermer, an Elmira High School senior, was in the line of students who spoke with Briggs after his presentation.
"I lost my cousin 11 years ago, it was really hard," Stermer said, referring to an older male cousin she was close to. "Nobody has really done anything like this, except the (suicide) walk. It means a lot that he came to talk about it, because nobody ever does."
Shannon Oakes, suicide prevention coordinator for the Chemung County Department of Mental Hygiene, said in their programs they tell middle and high school students never to keep suicide a secret.
"If you are worried about a friend, we want them to be empowered to tell adults about it," she said, adding her agency offers free programs to any area school district, mentioning they have worked in Corning, Spencer-Van Etten and the Northern Tier.
Dan Yager, a health teacher at Elmira High School, said it is important for students to know that you are not trying to get those contemplating suicide into trouble, you are listening and talking to them because you care and someday the person will realize that.
Follow Bob Jamieson on Twitter @SGBob
Suicide prevention walk
More than 1,200 people are pre-registered to participate in "Walk A Mile In My Shoes" on Saturday at Eldridge Park, Elmira. Vitamin L of Ithaca will give musical performance at 10:15 a.m. and Kevin Briggs will lead walk at 11 a.m. On-spot registration, while supplies of T-shirts and lunch last, begins at 9 a.m. in Whip Building. (Due to crowd, parking may be limited)
Suicide facts and figures
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention compiles suicide trends, based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.
• afsp.org/understanding-suicide/facts-and-figures
For help
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK