Volunteer chaplains offer aid to police, fire units

The hot afternoon sun shone down on the Rev. David Allen, kneeling on the narrow Mississippi River Bridge.

It was seven years ago today, at about 4:20 p.m., that Allen had to keep his cool. The pastor at the St. James AME couldn't lose his concentration, couldn't complain. A suicidal 36-year-old man needed him to listen.

Allen hardly noticed the sweat pouring off his brow. He didn't even notice the heat, even though he was out there more than an hour. He didn't care about the traffic that had backed up behind him. His job was to listen. Allen listened for more than an hour, and the man eventually stepped away from the edge and got some counseling.

Allen, a chaplain for the Cape Girardeau Police Department, was the right man for the job that day.

Listening to and communicating with potential suicide victims is an extreme case for police and fire department chaplains. More often, says the Rev. John Harth, they direct traffic at the scene of an accident or provide some comic relief for the people who witness death, violence and tragedy on a regular basis.

Sometimes they have to notify a family that a loved one has been killed.

And many times, they do nothing more than hang around the departments and make small talk.

The most important thing, chaplains say, is just being there when they're needed. Whether it be for spiritual guidance, emotional support or saying a prayer, the chaplains offer a helping hand and an attentive ear. And they do it for free.

Many chaplains in area

The Scott County Sheriff's Department initiated a chaplain unit last week, one of several departments in the area that benefits from the volunteer services of chaplains. Scott County now has three chaplains, including Harth, who has extensive chaplain training with the International Conference of Police Chaplains. The Rev. Randy Morse, also a chaplain for the Scott City Police Department, and the Rev. William Koch make up the other two-thirds of the new Scott County chaplain unit.

The Cape Girardeau Police Department has three chaplains: Allen, the Rev. David Dissen and the Rev. Johnny Thomas. Dissen, a retired minister who has served the police department since 1988, is also the chaplain for the Cape Girardeau Fire Department.

"Basically, what I try to do is spend some time with the people on staff and just get to know them," said Dissen, who has been called to the scenes of suicides, automobile accidents and plane wrecks, among other things. "I make it very clear that I'm not there to replace their church or their clergy at all. I let it be known that if ever they need to talk to me, it's entirely up to them."

Jackson's fire department has two firefighters who are ordained ministers, Robbie Grief and Michael Grant, who serve as chaplains. Both are bivocational pastors.

Grief said sometimes he and Grant lead Bible studies before the unit goes to bed.

Representatives from the Cape Girardeau police and fire departments said their chaplains assist in many intangible ways.

Fred Vincel, battalion chief with the Cape Girardeau Fire Department, said the nature of firefighters' work often calls for spiritual reflection.

"Many times when we respond, people are conscious and breathing, but due to circumstances they may not make it and you may see a person die and not be able to do anything about it," Vincel said. "For the general public, they may see that once in a lifetime. Some of our people deal with that on a nearly daily basis. To deal with the trauma and these situations where people are severely injured, it reinforces our mortality somewhat."

Cape Girardeau police Capt. Carl Kinnison said the police department appreciates the chaplains' availability.

"They maintain a presence and they are very approachable," Kinnison said. "You can never have enough spiritual support."

Bearing bad news

Harth, the minister at Guardian Angel Parish in Oran, Mo., has been a chaplain since 1987, ever since reading a newspaper article about chaplains while living in Joplin, Mo. Since then, he's completed 500 hours of course work in training.

When he moved to Oran last August, he saw that Oran's police department had no chaplain, so he volunteered and then contacted the Scott County Sheriff's Department about getting a unit started.

One time, while living in Neosho, Mo., Harth was called to a quarry accident. One of the tunnels had collapsed. He relayed the message from the police to the families of those who were trapped or killed.

He has also helped victims and police work through their emotions following a traumatic experience.

"We might tell them what might occur down the line to help them understand that even though they may not be able to sleep or eat, that they're dealing normally with an abnormal situation," he said. "If those problems persist, we can help them seek proper help."

Perhaps the toughest part of a chaplain's job is death notification.

In April, a priest and police officer delivered the news to Jimmy Robinson that his 17-year-old daughter had died in an apartment fire in Cape Girardeau.

Robinson said the presence of a priest did not soften the blow.

"For me, nothing could have helped," he said.

Robinson, though, after thinking about it, said, "For other people it probably would help. I think it's better to have one than not."

Dissen said notifying families of death is "extremely tough."

Allen said he has gotten more used to death notification with time. As a member of the clergy, death comes with the territory, he said.

He says when there is a death, there is no point in beating around the bush.

"A lot of people want to use euphemisms like 'He's no longer with us,'" Allen said. "I was trained to tell them your loved one has, in fact, died. If you beat around the bush, people will go around the bush. If you don't say a person is dead, in their mind they will think he's not dead."

But not all the work of a chaplain is grim.

"I just feel I want to give something back to the city," Dissen said. "I like to stop in, visit with the fellas -- and I should say gals, too. I like to joke around with them, and sometimes they'll pull me off to the side and want to talk about something. That's what I'm there for."

bmiller@semissourian.com

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