Essentials of Fire Chaplaincy

A sixteen hour course designed as a “Survey of Fire Chaplaincy”. It is appropriate for new chaplains, experienced chaplains, and those who just want to learn what fire chaplaincy is all about. The course includes classes in Ministry to Firefighters, Ministry to Fire Victims, Critical Incident Stress, Fire Department Funerals, Fire Chaplain Operations, and many others. This course serves as the foundation for credit with the Federation of Fire Chaplains.

This course is HIGHLY recommended by and for fire/rescue chaplains throughout North America and around the world. For members of the FFC, this course is the one that provides the foundation for our FFC Training Certificates.

Two-Day course led by
Chaplain Keith Smith
Chaplain Jimmie Duncan 

Keith has been a member of the Euless Fire Department since 1984 and holds his Master Firefighter, Fire Instructor, and Fire Inspector certifications and is a Licensed Paramedic. Keith became the department Fire Chaplain in 2004. He has been a member of the Federation of Fire Chaplains since 2004 and currently holds Advance Fire Chaplain Certificate and is a FFC Instructor. Keith is also President of the Texas Corps of Fire Chaplains, is a member of the Texas LODD Task Force, and holds multiple certificates from the ICISF, FEMA and NFA. He and his wife, Tambra, serve at Countryside Bible Church.

Jimmie has been a Member of Irving Fire Department since 1987 and holds his Master Firefighter and Fire Instructor Certifications. He is also a Licensed Paramedic and holds several technical rescue certifications as well. In 1999 Jimmie became the department’s Chaplain, was ordained, and became member of Federation of Fire Chaplains. He is currently the Executive Administrative Officer and an FFC instructor. Jimmie is a Board Member of the Texas Corps of Fire Chaplains, and is a member of the Dallas Area Crisis Response Team, Texas LODD Task Force, and holds multiple certificates from the ICISF. He and his wife Cindy live in Irving, Texas and serve at Berean Memorial Church

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"ESSENTIALS"

CISM: Advanced Group Crisis Intervention

Designed to provide participants with the latest information on critical incident stress management techniques and post-trauma syndromes, the Advanced Group Crisis Intervention builds on the knowledge base which was obtained through the Group Crisis Intervention course and/or in publications. At the conclusion of this course, participants will have been exposed to specific, proven strategies to intervene with those suffering the ill effects of their exposure to trauma. Emphasis will be on advanced defusings and debriefings in complex situations.

This course requires previous training and experience. ICISF’s “Group Crisis Intervention” should be viewed as a prerequisite.

Program Highlights

• Relevant research findings
• Managing complex group oriented crisis interventions
• Nature and importance of incident assessment
• Strategic intervention planning
• Comprehensive, integrated, systematic and multi-component CISM
• Concepts of enhanced group processes
• Significantly delayed interventions
• “Multiple incident CISD”
• Suicide of a colleague
• Small group crisis support sessions after a disaster

Two-Day Course led by
Chaplain Bill Lotz

Bill is Training Director for the FFC, has been working in and around the fire service since 1978 and has been involved in full time ministry since 1988. He has served as a pastor and as chaplain in hospital, corrections, hospice, and fire/police settings. Bill earned his Doctoral Degree in Chaplain Studies from Golden Gate Seminary in 1999 and has worked in full-time chaplain ministry since then. He currently serves as Director of Chaplain Services Network in SE Washington State, recruiting and training chaplains for fire/rescue and police agencies. He teaches Fire Chaplaincy, Disaster Chaplaincy and CISM throughout the US and Canada. 

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"CISM ADV GROUP"

Theodicy & Trauma

As chaplains and pastoral care providers, we are inevitably asked why God would allow some terrible thing to happen. It is Job’s, “Why?” In the fire service, people often ask us this question as we respond to disasters, accidents, and health crisis. We often ask ourselves the same questions as we bear witness to their injuries and suffering. As chaplains, we are expected to know the answer to these questions, even as we wrestle with them ourselves.

Theodicy is the attempt to reconcile our faith and beliefs with our personal experience of pain, suffering and evil. This course conceptualizes theodicy as a process using a seven-factor model that people commonly to reconcile the incongruities between their faith and experience. It will enable care givers to listen for key words and phrases that indicate where individuals are in this process and to assess its potential to contribute to posttraumatic stress or posttraumatic growth.

Participants can expect to be able to identify each of the seven factors that contribute to creating a theodicy and identify helpful ways to respond to them. They will also be given opportunities to reflect and develop their personal theodicies, to assist them in using their own faith resources in response to their constant exposure to the suffering and questions of others.

Two-Day Course led by
Chaplain Ed Hatcher.

The Rev Dr Edgar Hatcher is a retired Air Force chaplain with more than 35 years of pastoral experience. He is an approved instructor for more than 15 different International Critical Incident Stress Foundation courses and holds all ICISF Certificates of Specialized Training. A lifetime member of the National Organization for Victim Assistance, he also teaches courses in Psychological First Aid, Theodicy, and Clergy Sexual Assault Response. Chaplain Ed Hatcher is the Associate Director of the Midwest Region of the Federation of Fire Chaplains and Secretary/Treasurer of the Missouri Fire Chaplain Corps. A Licensed Professional Counselor, Ed holds a Doctor of Education in Community Pastoral Counseling from Argosy University, specializing in trauma, EMDR, and play therapies. He serves as pastor of Peace Lutheran Church in Sullivan, Missouri, and is active in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s outreach to veterans and their families.

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"THEODICY & TRAUMA"