Illinois Corps Of Fire Chaplains, Inc (ICFC)

Training Opportunity

Topic:        • Interacting with the family of a deceased person;
                 • Coordination between Coroner's Office, Fire Chaplains &
                   EMS Personnel;
                 • Tour of the Coroner's facility

Host:          MABAS Division 5

Where:       Media Room of Building A-Lower Level, behind the Courthouse
                  2200 N. Seminary Ave., Woodstock,  IL

When:        Friday May 23, 9:00 - 11:30 am

Presenter:    Dr. Anne Majewski, McHenry County Coroner

 

Please respond with who will be attending by Thursday, May 15, via email to Chaplain Gerry "Rev" Schalk-
[email protected]

2 New 2014 Chaplain Training Opportunities

The Illinois Corps of Fire Chaplains (ICFC) is working with two Illinois fire organizations to provide a forum for Chaplain training during their conferences.  These will also be opportunities to interact with the organizations we serve.  Please mark these dates on your calendars and take advantage of these important Chaplain trainings:

June 19-21
Illinois Assoc. of Fire Protection Districts Conference
Springfield, IL 
www.iafpd.org

October 16-19
Illinois Firefighters Association 'Down & Dirty'
Champaign, IL
www.illinoisfirefighters.org

The ICFC will provide more information as it is finalized.  Each organization’s website is listed above.  Registration is done directly with each organization when they make it available.

Tentatively, training will be offered in the following areas:

• Psychological First Aid (basic requirement for ICFC Chaplains)
• Fireground Culture (basic requirement for ICFC Chaplains)
• Fireground Communications
• A Chief’s Expectations
• L.O.D.D.
• Case Studies

It's Time to Renew Your ICFC Membership

Membership in the ICFC means being part of a statewide organization whose main mission is to help you as a Fire Service Chaplain.  From training to ongoing support we're here to serve you. The work of promoting Fire Chaplaincy across the state is an ongoing task.  Chaplains Dave Van Laar, Gerry Schalk  and myself were just at the MABAS Chiefs conference in Springfield.  Believe it or not, MABAS leadership gave us 45 minutes in a General Session to share how fire chaplains can help their departments, and how we, the ICFC, can help them.

The leadership of MABAS is encouraging departments across Illinois to have chaplains.  And they are looking to us to set the standards for chaplains and chaplains training.  Help us do that by taking time right now to renew your membership in the ICFC.

Download ICFC Member Application

Download Authorization for Background Check

          (mandatory for all members)

 

 

2014 Division 12 Chaplain Training Calendar

Division 12's training calendar is out with 5 quality trainings slated.  You don't have to be a Division 12 Chaplain to come and benefit.

download calendar

Request for Fire Chaplain Training Opportunity Information

We frequently get requests about upcoming opportunities for Fire Chaplains to be further equipped.  Many training opportunities exist, local, MABAS Divisional, statewide and national.  There are CISM classes, Basic Fire Chaplain courses and even some other unique workshops available.  Some Divisions put together a calendar of incredible events each year.  But no one is putting it all together.

We are going to put together a comprehensive year long calendar where we can refer people.

If you are aware of any training events, please share them with the rest of us.  Send the pertinent information (title of training, date, contact info, and if available website and registration form) to Ray Gurunian at:

[email protected]

CISM Grief Following Trauma training May 2-3, 2014

MABAS Division 54 Fire Chaplains in Effingham is hosting the CISM course, "Grief Following Trauma.  The dates are May 2-3, 2014 in Effingham, Illinois.  Cost:  $75.

Download registration form and contact info

NEW Training Course for Suicide Responders

The Salvation Army sent us this announcement.  This class will satisfy the ICFC Chaplains training requirement  to have completed a course dealing with Suicide.

You are invited to sign up for the training course, Suicide Awareness: An Introduction for Crisis Responders, an introductory course which will be offered on Feb. 22, 2014 at EDS Headquarters in Elk Grove Village.  This is a great opportunity at low cost and is recommended for those without formal mental health training.This CISM training is designed to teach participants the fundamentals of, and a specific protocol for, individual crisis intervention.  The course is designed to increase awareness of suicide and to equip participants with information and basic skills to respond to a person considering suicide.You will be trained to recognize and effectively intervene with suicidal individuals, one of the most challenging aspects of crisis intervention.  Discussions, demonstrations, and scenarios will be used to facilitate learning.

Program Highlights:
·        Overview of suicide
·        Crisis intervention and suicide prevention
·        Preventative and Protective Factors
·        Risk and Recognition
·        Strategies for Responding to those considering suicide
·        Referral Skills and Resources

Completion of “Suicide Awareness: An Introduction for Crisis Responders” and receipt of a certificate indicating full attendance (7 Contact Hours) qualifies as a class in ICISF’s Certificate of Specialized Training Program <http://icisf.org/education-a-training/certificate-of-specialized-training> .

Please return completed registration forms back to me by 2/19.           download registration form

Sincerely,

Ed Johnson
Volunteer Administrator
The Salvation Army
Emergency Disaster Services Center
1000 Pratt Blvd.
Elk Grove Village, Il. 60007-5121
847-415-7092 - Cell
847-709-6621 - Office
847-640-8263 - Fax
[email protected]

Welcome to the 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.

            Membership: Download ICFC Member Application

                                   Download Authorization for Background Check

                                        (mandatory for all members)

            Handbook: Download New Member Handbook 2012

ICFC Board Of Directors                                            
                  
> Dave Van Laar - President   [email protected]
> Ray Gurunian - Vice President   [email protected]
> Secretary - Carol Van Laar   [email protected]
> Treasurer -

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  1081 County Rd 2500 E Magnolia, IL  61336

 

 

New Officers

Fellow Chaplains,

Our sincere thank you to those who have brought the Illinois Corps of Fire Chaplains from a dream to a functional organization. This is not an easy task. Jennie worked so hard to see this through and we owe her our gratitude. Darrell, Sean and Juan have also served well as our most recent officers and we thank them. 

At our annual meeting on June 20, the following Chaplains were elected your new officers:

President - Dave Van Laar - Wenona Fire Protection District [email protected]

Vice President - Ray Gurunian - Carol Stream Fire Protection District [email protected]

Treasurer - 

Secretary - Carol Van Laar - Magnolia Fire Protection District     [email protected]

We will be active officers and solicit your help. We have already met and are working on our 120 day plan. We plan to meet again on July 10 to formalize our next steps. We need your help. This is YOUR organization and we recognize the importance of your feedback. Please send your suggestions and observations before our next meeting.

We are growing and with that comes growing pains - we feel some already! To better serve our members we will be establishing committees. If you have any expertise or desires in these areas - please volunteer.  

1. TECHNICAL - Keep us electronically current & Manage the website functionally  

2. TRAINING - Develop programs and standards & a delivery tool via the internet  

3. MEMBERSHIP - Streamline the application and credentialing process                

4. REGIONS - Refine Regions and Districts & Establish Directors

Our thanks to all who participated in the Chaplain's Conference at the IAFPD in Springfield.  

A quick story I pray does not happen again:

      On my trip back to the conference I came across a major fire scene.  I checked with I.C. and they directed me to a pastor in the crowd of spectators.  He wanted to help but was not certain what to do.  You see, he felt the call and had been looking for Fire Chaplain training.  But, he could find none close enough to attend.  In the meantime we were holding our meetings just 50 miles away.  How convenient it would have been for him.  How sad he missed us.  Let's not let any more potential Chaplains miss the call because they do not know where to train. 

God Bless you as you serve.

Dave Van Laar - 815-252-4314

[email protected]

ICFC OFFICIAL STORE NOW OPEN

The ICFC is working with US SAFETY PRODUCTS to provide a storefront selling shirts, jackets, stickers and several other items for the Illinois Corps of Fire Chaplains.  The store will be listing NEW ITEMS this week.  Check out  US SAFETY PRODUCTS and save the site to your bookmarks.