Kevin Briggs 120 4 th Street, #2808, Petaluma, California 94953 t 800.991.6714 e KevinBriggs@Pivotal-Points.com SPEAKING EXPERIENCE PIVOTAL POINTS ON THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE 2013- Current Keynotes and workshops include crisis, suicide intervention, and leadership skills education and training based on experiences while patrolling the Golden Gate Bridge, as both an officer and a sergeant with the California Highway Patrol. Audience: General; Law Enforcement; Hostage Negotiators; First Responders; Behavioral / Physical / Addiction Healthcare Professionals, Paraprofessionals, Consumers, and Affiliates; Hospitals; Military Personnel; University, High School, and Middle School Students, Staff, and Professionals; Corporate; Crisis Intervention Teams TECHNOLOGY, ENTERTAINMENT, DESIGN (TED) 2014 CONFERENCE THE BRIDGE BETWEEN SUICIDE AND LIFE TED is a global community, welcoming people from every discipline and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the world. They believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and, ultimately, the world. Professional presentation that was videoed for TEDTALK 2014 of crisis, suicide intervention, and leadership skills education and training based on experiences while patrolling the Golden Gate Bridge, as both an officer and a sergeant with the California Highway Patrol. Audience: Global Professionals in Numerous Professions; Law Enforcement; Students; Corporate https://www.ted.com/talks/kevin_briggs_the_bridge_between_suicide_and_life?language=en CIUDAD DE LAS IDEAS PUEBLA 2014 CONFERENCE Ciudad de las Ideas is a festival of brilliant minds, a celebration of creativity and curiosity of human beings. With the participation of 60 lecturers, scientists, scholars and opinion leaders, Puebla, Mexico, served as host for this international festival. Audience: Global Professionals in Numerous Professions; Law Enforcement; Students; Corporate https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auy5qkellbk Kevin Briggs Page 1 of 4
UNDERSTANDING SUICIDE IDEATION FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT: SUICIDE, DISCOVERY, and INSIGHT 2007- Current Topics include: Responding to a mental illness call Causes of mental illness Intervention techniques Breaking the stigma related to mental illness The proper use of Active Listening Skills when dealing with a suicidal subject SUICIDE ENCOUNTERS ON STRUCTURES / BRIDGES 2007-2013 Officer and Sergeant with the California Highway Patrol Presentation includes crisis, suicide intervention, and leadership skills education and training based on experiences while patrolling the Golden Gate Bridge, as both an officer and a sergeant with the California Highway Patrol. Audience: Law Enforcement, First Responders, Crisis Intervention Teams PROFESSIONAL PUBLICATIONS Author, Guardian of the Golden Gate: Protecting the Line Between Hope and Despair Book Forward, Fight or Flight, Negotiating Crisis On The Front Line, by Dr. Andrew T Young. Published July 2015 2015 PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE Crisis, Suicide Intervention, and Leadership Skills Keynote Presenter Crisis, Suicide Intervention, and Leadership Skills Workshop Presenter 2013-Current 2013-Current California Highway Patrol (Officer & Sergeant) 1990-2013 California Department of Corrections 1987-1990 United States Army, Infantry 1981-1984 CERTIFICATIONS / TRAINING Mental Health First Aid-Instructor Training Mental Health First Aid for Adults Certified 2015 ASIST Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training 2015 Kevin Briggs Page 2 of 4
CERTIFICATIONS / TRAINING QPR Gatekeeper Training for Suicide Prevention 2015 Chronicle Assessments of Suicide Events (CASE Approach) 2014 Peace Officer Standards and Training (P.O.S.T.) Certified Instructor 2013-Current Crisis Negotiations (Federal Bureau of Investigations) 2013 Critical Incident Response for Supervisors 2013 California Highway Patrol Peer Support Training 2007-2013 Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Course 2003 Protective Services Detail Course (United States Secret Service) 1997 AFFILIATIONS American Foundation for Suicide Prevention California Association of Hostage Negotiators National Alliance on Mental Illness Bay Area Suicide and Crisis Intervention Alliance American Association of Suicidology CIT International AWARDS Joint American Psychiatric Association and California Psychiatric Association Warren Williams Award 2015 Matthew Silverman Memorial Foundation - Matt's Heroes Award 2015 California Assembly Resolution - Assembly Member Marc Levine 2014 Steve Harvey Show - Harvey s Heroes July 2014 California Senate Resolution - Senator Jim Beall 2013 Northern California Association. of Public Safety Officials - Heroes Award 2013 Kevin Briggs Page 3 of 4
AWARDS Bay Area Jefferson Award - Public Service Award 2013 American Foundation for Suicide Prevention - Public Service Award 2013 American Society for Industrial Security - Outstanding Officer Award 2013 California Highway Patrol, Golden Gate Division - Division Chief s Commendation 2012 Louisiana State Police - Certificate of Recognition 2005 Chief Special Agents Assoc. of Northern California - Law Enforcement Appreciation Award 2004 REFERENCES Available upon request. Kevin Briggs Page 4 of 4
Kevin Briggs Pivotal Points Crisis Management, Suicide Prevention, Leadership Skills 120 4 th Street, #2808, Petaluma, California 94953 t 800.991.6714 e KevinBriggs@Pivotal-Points.com Web: www.pivotal-points.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/pivotalpoints Twitter: @PivotalPts Bio of Sergeant Kevin R. Briggs, Ret. As an international Crisis Management, Suicide Prevention, and Leadership Skills presenter, Sergeant Kevin Briggs story and lived experiences have been featured at the Technology, Entertainment, and Design 2014 Conference as a TEDTalk, Ciudad de Las Ideas (Mexico), Yahoo News, The New Yorker Magazine, Men s Health Magazine, NPR s Bob Edwards Radio Show, People Magazine, USA Today, as well as other magazines, newspapers, radio, and podcasts across the world. His first book, Guardian of the Golden Gate: Protecting the Line Between Hope and Despair, was released in July 2015. Briggs is a retired California Highway Patrol officer who spent many years patrolling the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. While on patrol, he encountered numerous individuals clinging to life by a thread individuals who had lost hope and could see no way out of their current situation - ready to jump off the bridge to what they assumed was a sudden death and ending of their pain and hopelessness. Briggs, through his compassion, gentle voice, eye contact, and his innate ability of listening to understand encouraged more than 200 individuals over his career to either not go over the bridge s rail or come back to solid ground from where they had been standing precariously out on the chord of the bridge and start a new chapter in their life. These challenging, but rewarding efforts earned him the nickname Guardian of the Golden Gate Bridge. After a 23-year career with the California Highway Patrol, Briggs retired to dedicate his life to promote mental health awareness across the globe through Pivotal Points, an organization he founded to promote Crisis Management, Suicide Prevention, and Leadership Skills. Briggs speaks publicly about not having the right kind of professional training to effectively assist persons in crisis when he first began work as a patrol officer. Throughout his career, he reached out to senior officers who had been in the trenches, asking for their guidance how to approach an individual in crisis, what to say, what not to say, tone of voice, among many other things. He sought various professional training avenues including hostage negotiator training to continue to improve his skills and abilities. Over time and using all the things he learned, Briggs found a positive way to approach people in crisis, using listening skills he practiced to find the thread that would encourage individuals to find hope for tomorrow and allow them to make the decision to live for another day. He is a mental health consumer himself Briggs suffers from depression related to his highway patrol officer and work leader experiences (including a motorcycle accident in which he was severely injured), as well as losing his grandfather to suicide, and other personal and family experiences. Today, Briggs is mapping a movement as he speaks publicly about his suicide prevention and crisis encounters with people on the bridge. He shares his Listening to Understand skills followed up with key active listening points for anyone to use; his personal triad for healthy living; his RELEASE model to assist anyone in crisis; his crisis plan, and his personal mental health struggles while serving in the Army, as a police officer, as a cancer survivor, as a family member and father, and as a leader and co-worker. Briggs spends the majority of his time speaking at training events, conferences, advocacy events and walks for mental / physical / behavioral health, college and university, first responder, law enforcement (including FBI), military, AFSP, NAMI, corporations, and other venues.
In February 2015, Briggs had the privilege of working in Australia with law enforcement, mental health organizations, and Mates in Construction, which works to reduce suicide in the Australian construction industry. During his time there, he conducted 22 presentations focused on suicide prevention and crisis management. In honor of his work, Briggs has received several awards: 2015 recipient of the joint American Psychiatric Association and California Psychiatric Association Warren Williams Award 2015 recipient of the Matthew Silverman Memorial Foundation Matt s Hero Award 2013 recipient of the ASIS International Outstanding Officer Award 2013 Harvey s Heroes Award (Steve Harvey Show) American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Public Service Award California State Senate Resolution for Public Service Bay Area Jefferson Award for Public Service Heroes Award, given by the Northern California Association of Public Safety Communications Officials International 2004 International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Outstanding Service Award