A First Responder Chaplain’s Prime Directive: Build Relationships with Officers/Firefighters/EMS Personnel
Over the past several years, Suicide has been the number one killer of First Responders (law enforcement and firefighters) followed by Line of Duty Death (LODD).
There are four critical issues facing First Responder Chaplains (FRCs) in the 21st century:
?·????????Building more effective relationships with First Responders and civilian employees (Evans, et. al., 2018)
·????????Development of more effective education and intervention tools for suicide prevention (Heyman, et. al., 2018)
·????????Building educational tools and training programs to mitigate the effects of secondary traumatization within families of First Responders (Hirshfield, 2005)
·????????Movement toward a national standard for First Responder Chaplaincy (Cadge & Skaggs, 2018)[1]
Suicide is the #1 killer of police officers and firefighters[2] (line of duty death is second).?Global warming has changed weather patterns to the extent that tornadoes, floods, and hurricanes are not only more frequent but more intense. Yet Basic First Responder Chaplain Training in the 20th century covered none of these topics. Was it because there were no officer suicides in the 20th century? In many instances, we still don’t consider suicide prevention AND intervention techniques a required basic course.??
The Officers, Firefighter, EMS Personnel and Dispatchers WILL NOT call us when a critical incident occurs in their life (such as Consideiring Suicide) if they do not know who we are or why we exist. Therefore, our Prime Directive[3] as First Responder Chaplains is BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS with the First Responders we serve.?
The following are IDEAS on ways in which to BUILD RELATIONSHIPS with the First Responders you serve as a First Responder Chaplain (Police Chaplains, Fire Chaplains, EMS Chaplains)
Tools and Other Ideas for Building Relationships with First Responders
1) Ministry of Presence
a. We are to be present at scenes, roll calls, FOP Events, Ceremonies.?Many times, we simply need to be there.??b. We must be able to read body language of people around us (Officers, Families, etc.).?Know when to approach someone and when to keep your distance.?Not everyone wants to speak with a chaplain.?Situational Awareness is a NECESSITY for a Police Chaplain
2) Visibility
a. Our presence is noticed whether we realize it or not.?Officers observe us even when we are unaware.?It is never wise to spend too much time or be seen with Command Staff unnecessarily.?It can undermine our only two assets we have – Reputation and Confidentiality.?
3) Respect and Follow Chain of Command
a. Always respect the Chain of Command.?All Police Departments are paramilitary organizations meaning they utilize a Chain of Command structure.?The way Chain of Command works (as well as Incident Command System on scenes), is everyone has a role with a supervisor or superior.?In our case the position is Chaplain or Acting Chaplain
b. Regardless of who fills the role, please respect the office they serve.?It is an exceedingly difficult and stressful position to serve as Supervising/Staff?Chaplain.?If she or he asks you to do something, please follow their instructions.?We are all on the same team.?Command structure relies on all of us respecting the roles to which people are assigned.?
4) Hospital Visitations
a. The on-call chaplain scheduled is responsible for visiting those officers injured.?The on-call chaplain can determine if Supervising/Staff Chaplain is required.?This applies to injuries which are not life-threatening.?If the on-call chaplain is “out of service” due to a run, they need to notify dispatch and request any available chaplain visit the injured officer.?
b. After the on-call chaplain has made a visit to an injured officer, follow your departments General Orders.?At the very least you should notify the Supervising/Staff Chaplain with an of the injured officer, their unit number, name and their director report SGT if possible.?Some departments require the Chief of Police/Fire/EMS/Dispatch be notified as well.?Again, know your department’s General Orders (and if your Chaplain program has them, the Chaplain Office General Orders).
c.?Visit in the hospital First responders who are injured and hospitalized off-duty or due to a medical condition.?
d. Visit in the hospital First responder immediate family members who are injured or due to a medical, are hospitalized. You have no idea the positive impact this visit has on an First Responder and their family.
5) Chaplain Schedule
a. Many departments have many ways to provide chaplains.?Smaller departments may just have a “chaplain on-call” for a week at a time.?Medium and Large departments may have a Chaplain on-call and out with the Officers 24/7 (usually three shifts in a 24-hour period) Other departments based on the number of chaplains, may require you to take at least 3 8 hour shifts per week.?If you commit to a shift or schedule – KEEP YOUR SCHEDULE – Reliability and Dependability, go to our Reputation.?There is nothing more frustrating for the Reporting Officer on a scene to request a Chaplain and the Chaplain does not show up.?It does not just reflect poorly on you when you are a no-show – it reflects on ALL THE CHAPLAINS of your department.?Additionally, if we do not take a minimum number of shifts per week based on the Chaplains in a Department, we are forcing other Chaplains to take four or more shifts a week – and that is not right nor fair.?Be considerate of your fellow chaplains.?Be conscious of not only your time, but the time of your fellow chaplains.
b. If you are scheduled for a shift, and you know ahead of time you have an event, either remove yourself from the schedule, or ask another chaplain to cover your portion of the shift.?It is unfair to assume at the last minute another chaplain will take a run for you.?Be courteous to one another.?We are all on the same team and have the same calling.?Just be kind to one another.
?6) Extra-Runs?
a. There are times during a shift when there are more runs than on-call chaplain(s) available.?For example, if three runs at different locations come-in, whether you are scheduled or not, and no one has picked up the second or third run, it is your responsibility as a Chaplain to help take the run the 2nd or 3rd run.?You volunteered to be a police chaplain.?You are trained to be a first responder chaplain.?You are like a priest or physician, police officer, firefighter, paramedic – you truly are on-call 24/7 (even if you are not on the schedule).
b. Do not assume the 2nd or 3rd run will be picked-up by another chaplain.?That is unfair to load all extra runs on a few.?We all must be conscious of not only extra runs, but also our fellow chaplains.?
c. When runs go unanswered by a chaplain, it affects the reliability, dependability and affects the credibility of all chaplains, in the eyes of the officers and command staff.
7) Building Relations requires you to work on your Continuing Education for First Responder Chaplaincy
a. Going through Chaplain Academy and Field Training at your agency (yes - every agency should have their own training academy specific to your agency[4] ) is the beginning of the learning process as a chaplain.?New techniques, skillsets, and interventions are always continuously being developed by experts and turned into tangible skills that we as chaplains can utilize to help those we serve when we use them, both with officers and on-scene with families.?But we will not know these tools, understand how and why they are used, and when, if we do not continuous learning on our own.?Every Chaplain MUST have the Basic Chaplain Credential (whether through ICPC, FFC, IFOC, NPFCA, or even a regional credentialing organization such as Law Enforcement Chaplaincy Sacramento – LECS ) within their first full year as a sworn chaplain.
8) Be Professional ALWAYS
a. It is easy to slip into a more casual approach when on a scene for a few hours or even after being a chaplain for a while.?It is important for all of us to remain professional and always conduct ourselves in a professional manner
9) KNOW The Law, Ethics, and Working as a Chaplain for a Governmental Agency
a.?State Laws Regarding First Responder Chaplains and Confidentiality – “All
fifty states and the District of Columbia have enacted clergyman-communicant privilege statuses]”[5]
This is the only way anyone who is need of or interacts with a First Responder Chaplain can know that whatever they tell a chaplain is CONFIDENTIAL??It will vary from state to state, but as noted above, all States and the district of Columbia have enacted some type of clergyman [appointed chaplain] confidentiality for those chaplains serve, In Indiana there is even a definition of “Chaplain” which notes appointed First Responder Chaplains are considered “clergy” and therefore the coverage afforded “clergy” extends to chaplains. Here is an example from Indiana State Law (Indiana Code):
§ 9-19-14.5-0.5 "Chaplain"
Sec. 0.5. As used in this chapter, "chaplain" means an individual who is appointed or officially designated to serve, with or without compensation, as a chaplain of either of the following:
As added by P.L.22-2013, SEC.2.[6]
§ 34-46-3-1. Attorneys, physicians, clergymen, spouses
Except as otherwise provided by statute, the following persons shall not be required to testify regarding the following communications:
10) Our First Priority are First Responders and Civilian Employees; Our Second Responsibility is Responding to Runs
a. To meet our First Priority, we must get to know our officers.?
i. Attending Roll Calls weekly
ii. Going on a Ride-Along at least once a month
iii. Attending funerals (when appropriate)
iv. Attending FOP Events
v. Attending District Events
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b. If you are scheduled for a shift.?Do NOT sit at your office or home waiting for a run.?While not on a run, you should be visiting local coffee shop hangouts; visiting the roll call before your shift begins; stopping by the Training Academy, Communications, Training Gun Range, visiting Victim Assistance Unit, or Homicide; contacting the FOP to learn which retired Officers are hospitalized and visit them during your down time on your shift; be present AND visible with officers during your shift.?
You have already set aside time to work an 8-hour shift.?Utilize the down time (when there are no runs) to build relationships with Officers and Civilian Employees.?Maybe pick a post that you consider your “home post”, and really build relationships with those officers.?It takes ALL OF US to build relationships with Officers and Civilian Employees.?Why relationships??Officers and Civilians will not come to us when they need help or are in crisis if they don’t “know” us.?Knowing the Officers and Civilian Employees before they experience a critical incident, might just make them think of requesting you for help.?If they do not know you – they will not call you.
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11) We are a team as First Responder Chaplains – We must act like a TEAM.
a. What one chaplain does well, reflects on us all;
b. What one chaplain does poorly, reflects on us all;
c. Credibility, Reputation and Confidentiality are our only assets; once we have lost just one of them, we have lost them all.
12) Roll Call Districts / Fire Houses / EMS headquarters - Currently all of us try and hit different roll calls.?Many departments have multiple District Posts, Fire Houses, and/or EMS headquarters.?Each of us, like a Mega Church, Temple, or Mosque, would be responsible for showing up regularly at the same post.?If your department has more than one, decide ahead of time which chaplains will take on a district post/fire house/ems headquarters as their “home” district/firehouse/EMS headquarters.?Especially for Police Chaplains, this does not mean all chaplains cannot visit other district posts.?But it does give first responders and civilians at that district post/firehouse/EMS headquarter to have ONE chaplain they see regularly, build a relationship with, and even one day say, “that is OUR chaplain”.?
a. Offer to Teach In-Service Training – For the last several years Officer Suicides have outpaced LODD.?The divorce rate among offers is three times (x3) that of Civilians.?There are many good books and training seminars we could offer to our officers and their spouses to help them better understand the life of an Officer such as Dr Kevin Gilmartin’s “Emotional Survival for Law Enforcement” or “Suicide Warnings” or even courses on PTSD (both for Officers and Dispatchers) or Leading a presentation to a Recruit Class on “Death Notifications” and general information on the Chaplain’s Office (why we are here, who we are hear for, etc.); Offer to lead a Law Enforcement Chaplain presentation at your local church or in your community so the community can begin to understand that there are Police Chaplains and we do more than Death Notifications. One example of a topic which would be very useful for First Responders is “Compassion Fatigue”.[8]
Your Staff Chaplain won’t know if you are interested in providing an in-service training topic if you don’t let him/her know.
b. Large City Events
If you are scheduled on a shift which happens to have a large outdoor event going on downtown or around the city where you know Officers (both on duty and Off Duty Employment) will be, if you have no runs currently, stop by the event and let the officers know you are around and spend time with them.?They will appreciate it more than you will know.
We MUST find a NEW WAY of making chaplains available to first responders. Building Relationships with First Responders?BEFORE a critical incident occurs is essential for helping intervene and hopefully prevent Suicides by First Responders.?
Though this is one tool to build relationship of many, we must utilize many relationship building tools (multi-prong approach) to building positive relationships with each first responder.?If we (first responder chaplains) do not have relationships with first responders, they will not know to ask for a chaplain when a critical incident occurs.
Chaplains not only do more than give First Responders a safe place to talk and decompress without fear of information going any further than the chaplain, but also the First Responder Chaplain can often be that last stop gap between retention of an officer, or a department losing thousands of hours and training by an officer making a lateral move or quitting law enforcement all together.
Ten (10) Components to an Effective First Responder Chaplain Program
1) Staff Chaplain / Chaplain Coordinator;
?1a) a budgeted line for:
???1a-1) chaplain staff and Chaplain Coordinator;
???1a-2) Equipment, Gear, Gas, Per Deim, etc. for volunteer chaplains;
???1a-3) training budget for all chaplains;
2) Recruiting Process;
??2a) Pre-Screening;?
??2b) Interview;
3) Agency Training (40 hrs.);
4) Field Training (2-6 mos., depending on the chaplain in training);
5) NATIONWIDE STANDARDIZED Credentialing Training,?40 hrs. Training;
6) Build Relationships with Agency personnel;
7) Agency Personnel Critical Incident Response;
8) Agency Personnel/Family Hospital Visit/Family Crisis/LODD Response /Coordination / Officiating;
9) Critical Response deployed to scene;
?9a) Crisis Intervention;
?9b) victim Assistance:
10) FR Chaplains, FEMA Disasters, 40+ hrs. NVOAD/ESC/PFA/CISD Training. [3]
To learn more how you can improve your department, or if you have questions about any part of this article, contact the First Responder Chaplain Division of Spiritual Care Association. We can help. We can provide on-site consulting, planning, training, and assist with first implementation. Contact us at the First Responder Chaplain Division of Spiritual Care Association .
Endnotes
[1] Wolfe, Jeff, “First Responder Chaplaincy for the 21st Century”, published in the Spring/Summer 2020 Issue of Spiritual Care Association’s Bi-Annual Magazine, found here:?https://spiritualcareassociation.org/docs/magazine/cfthsm_spring_summer_2020.pdf
[2] Heyman, Dill, and Douglas, “The Ruderman White Paper on Mental Health and Suicide of First Responders”, ?2018, Ruderman Family Foundation, section on White Papers and Research
[3] Prime Directive (a borrowed term from the TV Series Star Trek?) is equivalent to Primary Responsibility as a First Responder Chaplain, which is “Building Relationships with First Responders”
[4] See Attachment “A” for a Sample of an Agency First Responder Training.?This is your new recruit’s first introduction to the world of First Responder Chaplaincy within your agency.??This does not replace “Credentialing” Training offered by organizations such as ICPC, IFOC, FFC, NFPCA, LECS…?This initial training by your agency covers items not covered in “Credentialing” Training such as:?Radio Communications, Maintenance and Use of Service Vehicle (if your agency provides to chaplains), use of concealed Kevlar vests and why, 10 Codes your Agency uses, what gear a chaplain should carry in their vehicle, etc.
[5] Mays, Jane E., Indiana School of Law, “Indiana Law Journal”, Vol. 62, Issue 2, Article 14.?(See Law Journal for details AND check with your Agency’s attorney and your own state law for latest updates).
[6] Indiana Code 9-19-14.5-0.5 – [Definition of] “Chaplain”
[7] Indiana Code 34-46-3-1. – Attorneys, physicians, clergymen, spouses
[8] Wolfe, Jeffery B, “Compassion Fatigue is Real:?The Silent Killer of the Human Spirit ”, published 24 FEB 21, an article published on LinkedIN’s “Pulse”, copyright ? 2021, Jeffery B Wolfe, All Rights Reserved
PHOTO CREDITS
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About the Autho
Fr Jeff is the Director of the Spiritual Care Association's First Responder Chaplain Division (Fire, Police, EMS, and Disaster Chaplains); a Crisis and Trauma Specialist (CTS); a Contributing Editor, Writer, and content provider for ChaplainUSA.org; Adjunct Professor for the SCA University of Theology and Spirituality; a Chaplain with the Indiana Guard Reserve (IGR), under 81st Troop Command as a member of the Chaplain Corps (US Army protocol) and a graduate of the Indiana Guard Reserve Military Police Academy; a member of The American Institute of Stress (https://stress.org); a member of the Military Chaplains Association; and a Hon. Ambassador for Senatus Consultum “Conscriptus Electus”, a global Think Tank
In addition, Fr Jeff is a Franciscan (Old) Catholic Priest serving the Diocese of the Epiphany in Indianapolis; Vicar General and Director OCCI Office of Chaplains (https://chaplains.myocci.org); Contributing Editor, Writer, and weekly Law Enforcement Chaplain inspirational & educational content provider for CHAPLAINUSA.ORG; Former Training Coordinator, Developer, Lead Instructor, and Field Training Officer for the first IMPD Chaplain Academy; a member of the Hendricks County Indiana Medical Reserve Corps (MRC); a member of the Hendricks County Indiana MRC Executive Committee: and, a member of Hendricks County Indiana Crisis Response Team.?
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