News

Pa. Trauma Training Fosters Emotional, Spiritual Care Discussions

Melissa Klaric

05/27/2016

May 26--HERMITAGE -- Emotional and spiritual care in disasters were the topics that brought together fire and police chaplains, EMS personnel, clergy and mental health professionals from as far away as Louisiana to the Hermitage Fire Department Station III this week.

"There's going to be some ugly stuff happening in the years to come and to see more people coming out for this kind of learning, I just think it's good," said Douglas Pierce, pastor of Watts Memorial United Methodist Church, Belleville, Pa., and chaplain for Belleville Fire Company. "You have to be ready for what's coming."

This is the eighth year for the training sponsored by the Hermitage fire and police departments and St. Paul's United Church of Christ, Hermitage. There were 90 people in attendance, up from 70 at last year's seminar.

"It's kind of interesting with all the backgrounds just in our group," Pierce said. "I'm sitting there thinking I'm not going to be able to help. Down at Katrina, one of the nursing homes got hit. I go to our local nursing home to do spiritual care -- so there's my expertise. I think it's very, very helpful."

The instructor for the course, Chaplain Edgar Hatcher, is a board-certified trauma responder, a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and served as an Air Force chaplain for 27 years.

"This is brand new material on emotional and spiritual care in disasters," David Williamson, pastor of the host church and chaplain for Hermitage fire and police. "A lot of these people are fire chaplains and police chaplains. They're learning the skills needed to deal with a disaster."

Ray Martinez, pastor of Living Waters Church, Meadville, said discussions about how to help people in the middle of disaster or trauma were translated over to issues he deals with in his ministry.

"We do a lot with human trafficking rescue overseas," Martinez said. "Some of us are making the connection between the two and it's helping us reinforce and sharpen our skills."

Martinez brought along six of his church staff members.

"Just so that if something does happen that we are able to as a staff provide that service for our community," he said.

Martinez and Pierce were both impressed to learn of the organization that takes place in the middle of a disaster such as Katrina or in the middle of a school shooting.

"What I'm hearing is with the proper care during these big disasters that people will get through them," Pierce said. "It's just the initial shock and then there's so many groups and individuals involved. Sometimes we only think of the Red Cross but there's just so many different groups and then somebody in the center saying, 'Let's do this' and I think that -- especially for the big disasters -- has helped out."

Pierce said he came to broaden his knowledge on the spiritual care aspect in dealing with a trauma or disaster.

"It's given me a lot on how to respond to somebody's death," Pierce said.

Along with sharpening their disaster management skills, those in attendance also walked away with a certificate from the Critical Incidence Stress Management Foundation.

"Most of this training I've either had to drive or fly a long distance and I've had to pay through the nose," Williamson said. "We make it affordable."