By FireRescue1 Staff
LOS ANGELES — An off-duty rookie firefighter has been praised for convincing a man not to jump off a highway overpass.
Firefighter Kenneth Fraser was driving home from work Tuesday night when he saw a man on the overpass; he pulled over and went to speak to him. Officials placed air cushions below the overpass in case the man jumped.
Fraser spoke with the man for a period of time before convincing him to climb back over the side of the overpass, reported ABC7. Fraser said he shared his own struggles in an attempt to connect with the man.
“I was able to identify to him what I had to experience growing up and other issues and problems, and what I did to overcome that,” Fraser told NBC Los Angeles.
Officials took the man into custody for a mental evaluation.
“I’m a civil servant. One thing I wanna make sure I do at all times is be able to show that compassion and show that I care,” Fraser said. “Everybody is a human being, first and foremost.”
Fraser has been with the Los Angeles Fire Department for less than four months.
“At the end of the day, it’s my job and my duty, it’s an opportunity for me to change someone else’s life,” Fraser said. “I don’t believe there’s a greater calling than that.”
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