In recognition of Railroad Safety Month, Caltrain has launched a special page on its website dedicated to suicide prevention information and outreach. The webpage includes a crisis hotline number and links to local, regional and national suicide prevention resources. The web page is part of Caltrain’s ongoing commitment to engage with the community in an effort to prevent suicide.
Caltrain’s website received 779,678 visits in August alone and a total of 7,055,945 in 2013. It is hoped that the web page will reach a new audience that might not be aware of these resources.
The web page also includes a set of guidelines developed by mental health professionals for journalists and editors covering suicide. There is evidence that media coverage can play a significant role in reducing suicide. The guidelines give tips and suggestions on how to write effective, powerful stories about this sensitive topic.
Although Caltrain is enjoying unprecedented success – ridership is at a historic high – it continues to be plagued by suicides on its right of way. The agency has formed valuable partnerships in the community to address what is a complex, public health issue.
“We are experts at running a railroad, we are not experts at preventing suicide,” said Executive Officer of Public Affairs Mark Simon. “But by working closely with the mental health community we have learned from the experts that suicide can be prevented. We want people to understand that there is help available to them.”
In the last five years, there has been an average of 14 fatalities a year on the Caltrain right of way. Of these, 90 percent were caused by suicide. Although suicides on the Caltrain right of way make up only 3 percent of deaths by suicide in the Peninsula region, they are the focus of public attention because they impact so many people. Service can be delayed for several hours as emergency personnel attend to the scene and law enforcement officials investigate the event. Even Caltrain’s administrative personnel feel the impact of these tragic incidents.
Over the years, Caltrain has focused on the issue of suicide using many methods. In 2001, signs were posted along the 55-mile rail corridor with a telephone number to a crisis prevention center and the message that help is available. In 2010, the signs were redesigned as part of a national study to assess their effectiveness.
The Transit Police Bureau, comprised of San Mateo County Sheriff’s officers, is responsible for policing Caltrain property. These highly-skilled law enforcement professionals have received specialized Crisis Intervention Training to help them recognize people who may be a threat to themselves and refer them for appropriate treatment. In 2013, transit police conducted 23 of these interventions on the Caltrain right of way.
In 2012, a team of San Mateo County Transit District employees, who also manage Caltrain, raised nearly $12,000 to prevent suicides. The team joined more than 2,000 people in the Out of the Darkness Overnight, an 18-mile walk in San Francisco to benefit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. The San Francisco Caltrain Station was the half-way point for the event.
Caltrain also focuses on safe behavior as another means of preventing loss of life along its rail corridor. In 2013, Caltrain held a student filmmaker “Rail Safety Film Festival” using mini-films made by teens targeting teens. To view the student made films visit Caltrain’s blog, Peninsula Moves.
