FFC Officers

Jim Cook, President

Chaplain Jim Cook retired from CDF/Cal Fire and the Riverside County Fire Department as a Battalion Chief after 36 years of service. He has been involved in the Volunteer Reserve Chaplain program in Riverside County since 1997 and has helped develop an effective chaplaincy for his department. Their chaplains have supported mutual aid needs for San Bernardino County, San Diego County, and statewide. Chaplain Cook has been a member of the Federation of Fire Chaplains since 2003 and is currently serving on the FFC Board as the President. He is a member of the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation. Jim serves as the President of the California Fire Chaplain Association which works under the umbrella of the Federation of Fire Chaplains. Chaplain Jim Cook has an A.A. degree in Biblical and Theological Studies which he received in May of 2013. He is a deacon at Fellowship Church in Beaumont, California; a Southern Baptist Church and is heavily involved with a ministry of Fellowship Church. in Cabazon, California for twenty years.

Jim is married to Roxie and they celebrated their 47th year of marriage in 2020. Roxie has been a tremendous support to the Chaplain ministry that Jim has been involved in. Jim and Roxie, with a lot of help from Fire Department Chaplains in southern California hosted the FFC Conference in Palm Springs in 2009 and 2019 in the City of Cathedral City. They have six children and six grand-children. Roxie is very active with the FFC and CFCA spouse activities and is always supporting and encouraging.

  John F Long, Jr., Vice-President

John F. Long, Jr. has been a firefighter since 1975. Starting his service with the United Fire Company of Montrose, Pennsylvania. He enlisted in the United States Coast Guard in 1978 and served as a Chief Electronics Technician until his retirement in 1998. John is certified as a Fire Officer III, and Fire Instructor III. He has held all of the Line Officers positions and is currently serving as the President of the Ferndale Volunteer Fire Company in Glen Burnie, MD. John started serving as a Fire Chaplain when he was elected to the position with the Anne Arundel County Volunteer Firefighters Association in 2002. In 2003 he was appointed as a Chaplain with the Maryland State Firemen's Association and was elected Chief Chaplain in 2005, a position he currently holds. He was appointed Chaplain with the Anne Arundel County Fire Department in 2006 and is currently serving as Chaplain One for the combination department. He has been a member of the Federation since 2005 and has since completed his Advanced Chaplaincy Certificate and serves as an Instructor. John served as a Deacon with the Lake Shore Baptist Church in Pasadena, MD, and was ordained for service as a Chaplain in 2004. He is married to Mary K. (Kathy) Long since 1979, and they have two boys Daniel (Alissa), and Adam, and two grandchildren.

 Mark Akers, Secretary/Treasurer

Mark began his firefighting career 25 years ago with the Magnolia (Texas) Volunteer Fire Dept.  He works at the Houston Fire Department and is a Senior Captain assigned to Ladder 4.  Mark also serves as HFD’s Local 341 Chaplain.  He also works as a Battalion Chief for the Magnolia Volunteer Fire Dept. and serves as the department Chaplain.  Mark is married to his lovely wife Sonia and they have two children, Caleb (13) & Abigail (9).  Mark has been a member of the FFC for 11 years and is a credentialed minister with the Assemblies of God.

 Gordon Kouwenberg, Canadian Liaison to the Board

 Keith Smith, Member-at-Large

Keith Smith has been a member of the Federation of Fire Chaplains since 2004 and currently holds Advance Fire Chaplain Certificate, and is an FFC Instructor. He has been a member of the Euless Fire Department since 1984, and hold a Master Firefighter, Fire Instructor, and Fire Inspector certification. He is also a Licensed Paramedic in the State of Texas. In addition to this he holds multiple certificates from the ICISF, FEMA, and NFA.

Keith, became the fire chaplain for the Euless Fire Department in 2004 and still serve in that capacity. He is also a co-founder and director of the Texas Corps of Fire Chaplains. He continues toserve as a member of the Texas LODD Task Force – Texas LAST program. My wife and I serve at Countryside Bible Church in Southlake, Texas.