Chapel’s safeTALK prepares Airmen to prevent suicides Published Oct. 1, 2014 By John Turner 341st Missile Wing Public Affairs MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. -- People considering suicide usually indicate in their own unique way that they want to share their thoughts with someone close to them. Their peers must act upon these invitations by asking, talking and listening about how the person needing help feels, and then guiding that person toward specialized assistance. For this purpose, the Malmstrom Chaplain Corps now sponsors safeTALK, a half-day of training that helps Airmen identify people with thoughts of suicide and connect them to suicide first aid resources. "This program is designed to be peer-to-peer suicide prevention," said Tech. Sgt. Shane Rushforth, 341st Missile Wing NCO in charge of chapel program support. Rushforth and Tech. Sgt. Nichole Evenson, 341st MW NCO in charge of chapel program operations, recently started teaching the course and have led two classes. Together they have trained 105 people. The training, developed by LivingWorks, includes video-prompted discussions and practical exercises. The name 'safeTALK' is a two-part acronym. 'Safe' defines the program's purpose: Suicide Alertness For Everyone. 'TALK,' as a word, reminds peers to communicate directly and openly. It also lists steps toward preventing a suicide: Tell, Ask, Listen, and KeepSafe. Any person considering suicide should tell someone, as clearly as possible, their thoughts and feelings. Any person who wants to help should ask questions to initiate or continue a dialogue; listen to what the other person is saying; and keep them safe by connecting them to a chaplain, a Mental Health professional, or other specialized resources. A person needing intervention care can be referred to: - Base chapel, 406-731-3721 - Duty chaplain cell phone, 406-731-4451 - Malmstrom Mental Health clinic, 406-731-4451 - Command Post, 406-731-3801 - Benefis Emergency Room, 406-455-5200 - National Suicide Hotline, 1-800-273-TALK - Military One Source, 1-800-342-9647 It is important that peers are able to recognize when someone they know needs help. They should not dismiss their intuition that something is not right with that person, or avoid engaging them in discussion. "We try to get the people who are close to the (suicidal) Airman to actually notice the signs," Rushforth said. The signs often include uncharacteristic changes in behavior for that individual. Some people may become careless and make mistakes; others might withdraw or suddenly become moody. Some may increase their use of alcohol. Rushforth knows from personal experience that it is easy to miss or dismiss these signs without training. At a previous base, one of his coworkers committed suicide. The individual was recently married, had just been promoted, bought a house and had a baby on the way, and seemed to have a bright future. With hindsight, though, Rushforth recalls that the coworker was acting in ways that were out of character. "I know if I had this training, I would have noticed those signs," he said. "I feel guilty every day just thinking about it." SafeTALK training can be scheduled for units and organizations by emailing 341mw.hcworkflow@us.af.mil or by calling 406-731-3721. Rushforth has twice seen the program make a difference, when Airmen were referred to the chapel by safeTALK-trained peers. To his knowledge, both individuals are still in the Air Force. "I've seen it work," he said. "It does save lives."