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Serving Him by Serving Others
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The Chaplain of the Fire and EMS is one of the most vital
positions that a department can have. The Chaplain’s role is to have the
pulse of department and its personnel. As the world becomes more complex,
facing the problems of life becomes dramatically more difficult. The
pressures of living in a complicated world affect us all. Many become
emotionally and spiritually crippled when they find that what used to work
is no longer effective in coping with life’s pressures. People under
stress tend to look to public agencies for answers and services to solve
their problems. Public servants, such as Fire and EMS personnel, are
confronted with the results of pressures and life-threatening situations
every day. The public sees them as the “perfect” person who can do almost
anything. They are expected to solve problems, make the complex simple,
and perform emergency responses without experiencing any emotional turmoil
in the process. The truth is that emergency service personnel do sustain a
tremendous amount of stress because of what they do – more so than any
other profession.
1. Enter the Chaplain. The role of the
Chaplain is to be the “great balancer.” The Chaplaincy program is
established to provide support to the Fire Fighter and 1st Responders in
very specific way. The main object of this support is to provide spiritual
and emotional guidance for personnel and their families. The presence of
the Chaplain, especially at the scene, is to create a sense of calm – to
balance the stress level. His role is to be aware of what is going on and
to look for signs of physical and emotional stress of personnel and
victims and to provide appropriate assistance and advice, comfort, counsel
and referrals to all present.
2. To address some of these needs the
following should be followed: The chaplain should be notified immediately
of the following and will respond if at all possible - or will follow-up
at a later time. If the Chaplain does not respond on the initial dispatch
automatically, the Incident Commander should ask Metro to do so by
personal pager .
These are the four basic areas of emergency
response of the Chaplain
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Automobile accidents that result in
entrapments, fatality or near fatality.
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First Aid calls in which the victim dies,
or death appears imminent/Infant and children with life-threatening
circumstances/Working structure fires, where occupants might still be in
the house or where potential harm to firefighters could happen.
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Unattended deaths
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Suicides and death notifications
The Incident Commander on the scene are in
charge and must attend to his/her responsibilities. Therefore, the
chaplain lets them know that he is on the scene and works under their
direction. It is emphasized that the chaplain also monitors the effects of
trauma as it pertains to Fire and 1st Responder personnel and advises
those in charge of such.
3. The chaplain can also provide the
following services:
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Conduct Funeral and Memorial Services.
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Attend all Fire and EMS social functions.
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Be available for counseling members of
department in times of stress and difficulties.
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Conduct in-Services for new recruits or as
a regular yearly session.
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Be a member of the Critical Incident
Stress Debriefing Team.
Departmental directives provide that any
member, and their family, would always have the option of conversing with
the chaplain or a clergyperson of his/her choice.
5. It is so important that everyone know
that any information shared with the Chaplain is strictly
Confidential and Privileged
information and cannot be shared with anyone, including superiors without
permission.
6. It is the role of the chaplain to assist
members of the department when there are difficulties in their lives:
Deaths / Hospital / Serious problems or concerns. Therefore, someone
within the department must act as a liaison to inform the chaplain when
any of the above has occurred.
7. Emergency equipment has become so crucial
for the effectiveness of the chaplain. The chaplain is equipped with a
pager and emergency equipment and can be communicated with over the radio.
8. Finally, it is important for all
personnel of the Fire and EMS to realize that the chaplain is an official
member of the department and thus acts as part of the team. We are a TEAM!
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