You’re invited to event focusing on suicide prevention
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IDAHO FALLS – Community Suicide Prevention is issuing “a call to everyone.”
That’s the theme for an annual conference on Sept. 10 hosted by the local nonprofit at The DEC in Idaho Falls.
The keynote speaker for the event is Kevin Briggs, a retired sergeant with the California Highway Patrol. Throughout his career, he saved many people who attempted suicide by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge. His efforts earned him the nickname “Guardian of the Golden Gate Bridge.” His presentation will focus on crisis communication and self-care.
“We are losing over 47,000 people a year to suicide — more than traffic accident fatalities, more than murders. If I asked the crowd who attend to raise their hands if they’ve been affected by suicide, most hands would go up. We all play a role in suicide prevention and I’m going to give some … clues about what to look for and how to talk to people in crisis,” Briggs tells EastIdahoNews.com.
Over the course of his career, Briggs says most of those wanting to end their life had some type of mental illness that was not caused by drugs or alcohol. Many of them had stopped taking prescribed medication before having suicidal thoughts. During his presentation, he’s going to talk about one man he helped save named Kevin Berthia (see top photo).
“I’ll be discussing his case and why he went over the rail, our conversation that day and how he came back over voluntarily,” says Briggs. “It takes so much courage to go over that rail to begin with, but it takes even more courage to come back and face everything.”
Bart Whiting, an officer with the Idaho Falls Police Department and President of the Idaho Falls Fraternal Order of Police, will also be speaking. He received the Community Suicide Prevention’s “Rock your Role” award in 2018 after talking a young man out of committing suicide.
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Whiting’s comments will be aimed primarily at law enforcement and will focus on preventing officer suicide and building resiliency. He’ll also be talking about Sabas Flores, an IFPD officer who died by suicide in 2015, and “the mental health stigma in law enforcement culture.”
Whiting says Flores was one of the officers on scene when a dead body was found at Tautphaus Park. It was ruled a homicide, and the man charged with committing the crime later killed himself in jail.
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This was one of several cases involving gruesome and traumatic deaths Flores had taken part in investigating. Whiting says it took an emotional toll on him.
“He came home that Sunday and was really upset and agitated, and he started drinking,” Whiting says of Flores. “On Monday, he was really on-edge too. We went to Target, and he would mutter under his breath about people and was really agitated and annoyed, and on Tuesday, he completed the act of suicide.”
Had Flores known how to take care of his mental health, Whiting says he may still be alive.
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Whiting has had his own experiences with trauma and was diagnosed with PTSD in 2017. He conducted a study in 2019 and determined 35% of the officers with IFPD were struggling with the same thing. Over the last several years, he’s been working to change the culture by talking openly about his own struggles with depression.
Officers are human, too, Whiting says, and mental health should not be something they are afraid to talk about. He’s happy to see an increase in the number of officers getting counseling or other professional help when needed.
“The stigma of mental health needs to change. Talking about the issues and trauma that we face is healthier for us and (makes it) easier to overcome,” says Whiting.
Others who will be speaking include Rhonda D’Amico, who once attempted suicide. She’ll be talking about her mental health journey of reclaiming joy. Shannon Fox and Jeni Griffin will also provide their perspective as mental health professionals. Bonneville County Sheriff Sam Hulse is part of a five-person panel that will address those in attendance. Community Youth in Action will conclude the event with a skit.
A Memorial Walk to honor those who have died by suicide will occur at 7 p.m. the night before at Community Park. There will be a simple remembrance ceremony and a short walk around the park, according to a flyer for the event.
Tina Wheatley, the secretary for Community Suicide Prevention, says she lost a son to suicide many years ago. It was a devastating blow for her at the time, but she’s continued to learn and grow. She now knows how to help those who are struggling and what to watch for. She promises the conference will be equally beneficial for those who attend.
The suicide prevention conference is happening in conjunction with National Suicide Prevention Week. It is open to anyone and will go from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are required and can be purchased online. The Community Suicide Prevention Conference is being sponsored by Optum, the Behavioral Health Center at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center, and Syko Realm, a nonprofit motorcycle club in Rigby.
