FRESNO, CA – Fresno police and first responders intervened Thursday night after a man threatened to kill himself after climbing a light pole with a rope around his neck.
On Thursday, officers were dispatched to West and Shields Ave, for a man who had climbed a traffic light pole. When officers arrived, they found the male on the pole as he was wrapping an electric cord around his neck. Officers were able to see that this was a person in crisis and needed help.
Members of FPD Crisis Negotiations Team (CNT), Fire department, and American Ambulance responded and remained on scene for nearly an hour as they communicated with the subject. At one point, the male was able to climb onto the horizontal pole and dangled over the street, with the electrical cord around his neck.
CNT members continued their efforts to help him through his crisis. Ultimately, CNT members convinced the man to remove the cord from his neck, and with the help from the Fire Department, he was removed from the pole and taken to a local hospital. With the help of everyone on the scene, emergency personnel were able to successfully de-escalate the situation and prevent a tragedy. Thank you to all the Emergency Responders who never gave up, and saw hope when someone else felt they had none.