Safety netting on the Golden Gate Bridge has been in the works for more than 10 years, and now that it's near completion, the focus turns to training first responders on what to do when a person lands in the net.
The $215 million steel net project is still under construction and is expected to be finished by the end of next year. But law enforcement, fire crews and other rescuers have started training for possible rescues.
Two of the initial determinations first responders must make is whether or not the person is injured, as it is a 20-foot fall, and whether or not they are resisting help.
The Golden Gate Bridge Authority is setting aside $824,000 for a training facility near Mill Valley, with the funds coming from the bridge’s capital budget. There’s a training plan already in place, as well as a replica of the steel mesh net so first responders can practice rescues.
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More than 1,800 people have fallen to their deaths from the bridge since it opened in 1937.
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