From Bystander to Hero: How to be the First Responder to 10 Disasters

You've called 911, but someone needs help immediately. It's time to act. Whether it's saving someone from a burning car, fighting a fire or rescuing trapped victims from a collapsed building, ordinary people can learn the simple skills to do extraordinary things.



Talk Someone Down from the Edge

Of the 35,000 suicides in the United States each year, several hundred are jumpers. At the Golden Gate Bridge last year, there were 32 suicides‚ but at least 75 more were prevented by trained officers or alert passersby. "If you encounter someone who is about to jump, the impulse is to become excited, to scream and run toward them," says Eve Meyer, executive director of San Francisco Suicide Prevention. She advises approaching potential victims calmly and never reaching out to grab them, which could precipitate a jump. Instead, ask, "Are you okay?" and then "Will you walk with me?" Switching the focus to yourself is the key: "People in crisis will do a favor for another person, even though they won't do something for themselves," Meyer says.