SETTING UP A CHAPLAINCY PROGRAM

BY WENDY C. NORRIS AND ED STAUFFER

The fire chaplain has recently been more recognized in the fire service because of the heroism displayed by Fire Department of New York (FDNY) Chaplain Father Mychal Judge. He was praying over a deceased victim inside the World Trade Center (WTC) when he was killed by falling debris. Subsequent and now infamous pictures of his body being carried out of the WTC on a chair by soot-covered emergency workers launched an interest in this man and his work as a fire chaplain. Ironically, he was officially listed as the very first death from the 9/11 attacks. It was often overheard on the damp and dreary streets of Manhattan following the attacks that he went first so that he could lead the others to heaven. Even in death, the chaplain is still looked on as a source of comfort and guidance.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, chaplains comforted and encouraged the brokenhearted and inspired rescuers in their efforts to help the destroyed city of New Orleans. Whether it was comforting a tearful firefighter, swapping firefighter stories, praying over the dead, or encouraging workers caring for the dead, the chaplains eased burdens and lifted spirits.

RICH HISTORY

The chaplaincy has a long and rich history. The word “chaplain” originated with the Medieval Latin cappella, meaning cape, and refers to the cape of St. Martin of Tours. The well-known St. Martin was said to have shared his cape with a beggar one cold and wet night. The famous cape was preserved as a relic and displayed in a small building that came to be known as the chapel. The “chaplain” was initially the guardsman of the chapel, but the office was expanded as different types of chapels arose. The chaplain has always been one to share his cape in a time of need.1

The “cape” of the fire chaplain may actually be a blanket placed around the shoulders of a family huddled together in their front yard as their home is burning on a winter night. It may be a prayer offered for a firefighter’s strength and protection during the time of crisis. It may be the provision of support for the elderly woman who just lost her husband and partner of several decades to a heart attack. It will always be that which is appropriate and timely to bring comfort and hope and, if requested, spiritual direction during the intense time of a crisis.2

Many other disasters have occurred in communities across this country and around the world since 9/11. Whether it’s a small rural community that has suffered the loss of its only business in town because of a fire or a large metropolitan city that has lost one of its own in the line of duty or a state ravaged by a natural disaster such as a hurricane, fire chaplains were there helping to pick up the pieces of shattered lives and torn communities. Their names were probably never made famous or may not even have been mentioned in their local newspaper, but day in and day out the chaplain showed up to cover his people with his “cape.”

Fire departments by tradition have had someone in the role of chaplain since the beginning of the organized fire service. In many departments, a local clergy person was appointed chaplain to handle emergency situations within the department. These duties include notifying family members of serious injuries, line-of-duty deaths, and suicides involving fire department members and their families. Chaplains have fulfilled a traditional ceremonial role by giving the invocation at fire department functions and conducting wedding and funeral services for fire department family members.

In many cases, the functions normally handled by a chaplain have been taken over by members of the administrative staff and firefighters within the department. When the need arose and no one was available to handle it, department administrative staff and members would do their best to handle the crisis. In the modern fire service, numerous factors have made it desirable to establish a formal position of chaplain. With all the pressures present today, there is a need for this position in all fire departments-paid or volunteer, large or small, private or public.

As our world becomes more complex, facing the problems of life becomes dramatically more difficult. What used to be a straightforward, clear path to follow becomes cluttered with inflation, the energy crisis, environmental pollution, nuclear accidents, increasing crime, escalating levels of violence, crowded living conditions, and extremely intrusive challenges to our personal values and beliefs. 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 the pressures.

People under stress tend to look to public agencies and institutions for answers and services that will solve society’s problems. When programs and services fail to improve and simplify living conditions, the providers are subject to the outrage of a frustrated public. As a result, individual public servants, such as firefighters, are confronted with stress-producing accusations of ineffectiveness, inefficiency, and ulterior motives when they attempt to help. The emergency service worker is confronted with making a living in a complex world and with having to deal with disenchanted recipients of their services.

At the same time, society seems to expect public servants to be immune to the effects of such stress. Emergency workers face some very real risks if they even hint that the stress is too much or is getting to them. It is as if the firefighter is expected to be the “perfect” person. Firefighters are expected to solve problems, make the complex simple, and perform emergency responses without experiencing any emotional turmoil in the process. A chaplain can help firefighters realize they do not have to be perfect.

SETTING UP A CHAPLAINCY PROGRAM

Is your department looking to set up a chaplaincy program but isn’t quite sure where to begin? First, verify that your department wants the program. Write down what your department expects to accomplish by establishing a chaplaincy, and list the qualities you are looking for in the person who will serve as department chaplain. Discuss these expectations with candidates during the selection process.

FINDING POTENTIAL CANDIDATES

Following are some methods for finding appropriate chaplaincy candidates:

1. Contact other fire departments, fire department chaplains, or the Federation of Fire Chaplains.

2. Look within your department for a member who may also be a minister.

3. Check with your local ministerial alliance.

4. Look for individuals who can minister to department members of Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish beliefs, or look for a person able to deal, without reservation, with all denominations and beliefs.

5. Consider your personal knowledge of a clergy person who has shown an interest in or who would be good for your department. Ask for suggestions from department members.

6. Appoint a committee to seek out candidates. Set times to meet and periodically review how the selection process is going.

7. Do not overlook clergy persons the members of your department most often call for assistance.

Just as all people are not cut out to be firefighters, not all clergy can meet the needs of the emergency service. Just because an individual offers to assist does not mean he or she would be your best choice. Interview, run a background check, listen to recommendations, have the candidate visit with firefighters, and get feedback as to whether the person would be able to build a confidential relationship with department members.

The fire chaplain’s primary role is to “serve those who serve.” This is the tag line and mini-mission statement for the Federation of Fire Chaplains, a nonprofit organization that supports and educates fire service chaplains.

What does it mean to serve those who serve? It means to offer spiritual support during a crisis without letting one’s own religious doctrine or beliefs interfere. It means that the chaplain offers stability during chaos by stepping outside of the emergency and offering unbiased and objective advisement. It also means that the chaplain can offer hope during the deepest of the darkest hour. Although the chaplain may seldom use the word “hope,” his or her presence will communicate the thought more effectively than any spoken phrase. The chaplain’s presence says somebody cares, somebody loves.3

Chaplains don’t have all the answers to life’s questions. They can’t explain why certain terrible tragedies occur. However, chaplains can offer a shoulder to cry on, a listening ear, and hands to help clean up the debris and can offer a library of resources to help people move forward.

The department chaplain is there so you can vent about that horrible call from which you just returned. The chaplain is there to bless your meals and share war stories with you as you eat. The chaplain is there to perform your marriage ceremony and then encourage you in your marriage. We know how tough the emergency services are on marriage.

The chaplain is there to help mediate an ongoing fight between two shifts and to celebrate as you achieve your promotion. The chaplain is there to bury that crazy, old chief who was dearly loved by the hundreds of men who worked under his watch. And the chaplain is there to bring you comfort during the darkest of hours. A fire chaplain can add a whole new dimension to your department.

References

1. The Catholic Encyclopedia, (London: Caxton Publishing Company, 1912), 579.

2. Federation of Fire Chaplains Training Manual, 16.

3. Federation of Fire Chaplains Training Manual, 20.

WENDY C. NORRIS is a chaplain and the administrative assistant for the Federation of Fire Chaplains and the president and chief executive officer of Firefighter Ministries, a nonprofit organization that provides social services to emergency workers nationwide. She is a firefighter and the chaplain for the Forest Bend (TX) Fire Department, the benefits coordinator for the Texas State Fire Marshal’s LODD Task Force, and a guest instructor for Texas A&M Annual Fire School. She also serves as the presiding officer on the Governor’s Advisory Panel for the Firefighter Star of Texas Awards.

ED STAUFFER, a member of the fire service for 48 years, is founder and executive director of the Federation of Fire Chaplains and founded the Federation of Fire Chaplains Institute in 1991. He is a retired captain and chaplain from the Fort Worth (TX) Fire Department and a past chaplain of the IAFF and several fire and emergency services organizations. He is a firefighter family life instructor in stress management.