Illinois Corps Of Fire Chaplains, Inc (ICFC)

Welcome To ICFC

We are a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) volunteer organization established in 2008.

The purpose of the Illinois Corps of Fire Chaplains, Inc is

- to serve Fire Service Chaplains, 
- to support the ministry of fire and emergency response Chaplains,
- to assist fire service agencies in developing Chaplaincy programs in their agencies,
- to develop standards of practice in cooperation with emergency agencies,
- to develop a network designed to assist victims of fires, disasters and terrorism.

            Training:  Download ICFC Training Standards
            Membership:  Download ICFCmembership 2013

            Handbook: Download New Member Handbook 2012

ICFC Board Of Directors                                            
Chaplain Jennie Swanson, President  
jennieswanson@sbcglobal.net   630.479.1970                       
Chaplain Darrell Coons, Vice President fsmchap@yahoo.com  618.698.1160
Chaplain Sean Fortson, Treasurer ccfd66@aol.com  708.257.7843
Chaplain Juan Hernandez, Secretary/Registrar mrkarate@sbcglobal.net  708.768.1205

In partnership with MABAS we are reaching across the state of Illinois to provide an effective network of mutual aid, training and a standard of care in our departments and communities.  www.mabas.org . Sign up for updates by email to be automatically notified when new trainings and announcements are available. Simply enter your email to the left of this post. 
          

Administrative Headquarters  507 N. 43rd Street   Belleville, IL 62226-5317

 

 

MABAS 54 BASIC CISM Training (corrected)

MABAS Division 54 is hosting a BASIC GROUP CRISIS INTERVENTION class on Thursday and Friday May 9-10, 2o13.
The class will be held at St. John Lutheran Church in Effingham, IL.

The cost of the class is $75.

Please download this flyer to register Download CISM Ttaining May 2013 

or  contact Chaplain Jim Wright at jimwright1961@gmail.com
or 618-483-6395 for more information.

Membership Materials 2013

Fire Chaplains Everywhere!

We have lots to share with you from the ICFC. Membership materials are here now too! If you have joined before or are joining for the first time please know what a difference you make to this organization. For the last five years we have worked to provide a network of chaplains across the state who can train together, serve together and support each other.

We started with 10 in 2008. Our current mailing list is 140. An invitational letter and the actual application are attached to this post in Microsoft Word. Please continue to support this - your - chaplain's organization. The difference that you make to our fire personnel and communities cannot be measured.

 I thank God for each and every one of you.

Jennie Swanson, President
Illinois Corps of Fire Chaplains

Download ICFCmembership 2013

Suicide in the Fire Service Thursday 2/14/13

Fellow Chaplains,
In 10 days we'll have the first of 4 Meetings for 2013.  This first one is one every chaplain should come to.  Suicide is being recognized more and more for being the danger that it is to firefighters.  Chaplains need to be ready with skills to help those in need.  Some chaplains may have already taken a class dealing with Suicide, this one is different.  It's presented by a firefighter who is dealing with the specific area of suicide in the fire service.  Here's the write up we included on the 2013 Chaplains Training calendar:

Thursday 2/14/13 Suicide in the Fire Service 
Dan DeGryse of the Chicago Fire Department will present on fire-service related suicide statistics,
warning signs and interventions for personnel and families. Participants will learn about current national
trends, resources and prevention programs available. Chaplains will have the opportunity to ask
questions and increase their skills in dealing with this important issue.


WHERE:  Carol Stream Fire Protection District Headquarters, 365 Kuhn Rd., Carol Stream, IL (just north of the intersection of Kuhn Rd. and North Ave.)
WHEN:     Thursday, 2/14/13   9:00 - 11:30 am
COST:       FREE

RSVP:  Please help us prepare for your presence by sending a quick reply RSVP to me. 
Email me at guru4x@aol.com.

Just typr "YES", and hit "SEND MESSAGE".  Thanks.

Ray Gurunian
Pastor, Village Bible Church
600 Kuhn Rd. Carol Stream, IL  60188
(630) 668-4647
Chaplain, Carol Stream Fire Protection District

Division 54 2013 Chaplain Training Schedule

The following is the currently updated training schedule for Division 54.  For more information or to register contact Chaplain Paul Bauer prbauer@frontiernet.net

May 9-10, 2013  
CISM - Group Crisis Intervention
Chaplain Darrell Coons Instructor
Download MABAS Flyer 02

Designed to present the core elements of a comprehensive, systematic and multi-component crisis intervention curriculum, the Group Crisis Intervention course will prepare participants to understand a wide range of crisis intervention services. Fundamentals of Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) will be outlined and participants will leave with the knowledge and tools to provide several group crisis interventions, specifically demobilizations, defusings and the Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD). The need for appropriate follow-up services and referrals when necessary will also be discussed.

Two-Day Course: 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., 14 Contact Hours
Effingham Fire Dept, Effingham IL

 

September 12-13 2013
Post Traumatic Stress (PTS) Initiative

 Purpose:

To develop and implement an ongoing comprehensive program/model/process, providing support, education, and intervention for Responders – fire, police, EMS, dispatch, support staffs, etc --  to reduce Post Traumatic Stress.

Training Event Details:

            September 12-13, 2013,    2 Days – 9 hours
            Location: Knights of Columbus Hall – Effingham, Illinois

             3 modules [3 hours each]:
                        1. PTS Basics
                        2. PTS and Responders – Visioning Possibilities
                        3. Creating an Ongoing Plan with Chaplain Committee, etc.

Division 12 Chaplain Training Calendar

Here is the download link for the 2013

Division 12 Chaplain training Schedule.

It is PDF form so you will need to go to the ICFC website

via the link below to retrieve the document. 

Hope to see you there!

Download 2013Div12ChaplainTraining

Suicide Prevention - Law Enforcement Training

You are invited to attend the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation's suicide prevention training seminar on January 21, 2013 at the Hyatt Lodge in Oakbrook, IL. The training is from 0800-1600hrs and is being underwritten by the Motorola Corporation. Lunch is included and there are no costs to attendees.

The training seminar is geared to help those in a position to help police officers in crisis and at risk of committing suicide. If we can save the life of one police officer or family member, this seminar will be well worth it. Below, you will find a link to the registration. We will need a count, so please register as soon as possible if you intend on going.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Please note that this event is invite only, however if you would like to request additional people to attend, let me know and we will see if there is available space.

You can click on the Register Now! button at the bottom of the page. Here is the link:

http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=va7y67bab&oeidk=a07e6jvuep866322866

New and Renewing Membership Information

In case you had not received a mailing, the following documents pertain to new or renewed membership in the ICFC.  Everyone's participation matters, and we all greatly appreciate the support you show to and through our organization. At a recent conference a retired fire chief remarked how much of a difference our chaplains make in the lives of so many every day.  Thank you for the work that you do!

Download Icfcrenewfinal
Download Icfcnewfinal
Download Questions-and-answers-about-mabas-fire-chaplains

An article you should read on psychological wellness

http://www.firerescue1.com/fire-department-management/articles/1263037-Mental-rehab-pays-dividends-for-life/

Thanks to those who forwarded this to me!

2012 FFC Annual Conference

2012 FFC Annual Conference
34rd Annual Conference and Training
ST. LOUIS/EUREKA, MISSOURI

Pre-Conference: October 20-21, 2012
Conference: 21-25, 2012
For more information check out http://firechaplains.org

These training are always a time to learn, time to network, time to relax & time to be lifted up. Check it out we would love to see you all in MISSOURI this year

Remember your Dispatchers

The following link was forwarded to me. Interesting information on PTSD & Telecommunicator’s…

 http://gma.yahoo.com/911-dispatchers-risk-ptsd-155103127--abc-news-health.html