Suicide rescuer is a different kind of doctor

Prague (dpa) - Monday is the most popular day for killing oneself in the Czech Republic, but according to official statistics someone in the country has committed or attempted suicide almost every day for the past eight years.

That creates a high demand for Prague fire brigade Major Jan Havrda, and suicide specialists like him around the world, who have learned to combine the skills of rescuer and emergency psychologist.

Havrda is a different breed of "doctor" who has helped saved dozens of lives. His usual "clinic" is the edge of a towering highway bridge that is Prague's most popular suicide spot.

The job usually begins with a call to police from a passing motorist who saw someone climb over the high fence that lines the Nusle Bridge.

If a jumper has already completed the deed before help arrives, the responding police officers typically find a pair of shoes on the bridge deck. That's because it's easier to climb the fence barefoot.

But in most cases, Havrda says, the distraught person is still clinging to the fence when police and paramedics arrive. To buy time, an officer may cautiously speak with the person while waiting for an expert who's been trained to handle suicide attempts.

As soon as Havrda or another expert arrives, the life-saving begins in earnest.

Initially the rescuer addresses the potential victim "loudly, emphatically while trying to get his attention", Havrda said.

"Almost always he warns the rescuer not to get close, or he'll jump," he said.

But the rescuer "doesn't care about that".

"He makes requests, promises help, promises anything and approaches him from an angle so that the distraught person doesn't know what is happening behind him."

In other words, a key job for the suicide psychologist involves distracting the potential victim so that others on his team can manoeuvre for a lifesaving catch.

On Nusle Bridge, the talking continues while about three firefighters lean a ladder against the fence near the victim, or a lone firefighter hanging on ropes descends toward the victim from an extended firetruck ladder.

"At the right moment - a moment that you can only sense - the rescuer drops, clings and restrains, until eventually the police can take him away," Havrda said.

Any unreasonable promises that were made, such as a promise of immediate freedom, are then broken.

The process is as brief as possible, Havrda said.

"We don't negotiate much, but instead act right away. In most cases, they like being rescued."

Copyright 2005 dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH

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