So, what does it mean to be a professional public safety chaplain? I have long talked about the banquet chaplain, that chaplain who only shows up to give the prayer at the annual banquet. Or that chaplain that shows up once a month to pop in and say "hi" and then leaves. It's more like "hit and run" chaplaincy. Those are NOT chaplains, but instead visiting clergy. But what are some characteristics of a professional chaplain? While this list is not exhaustive, and a lot of professional chaplains don't have all of these, this can give you an idea of what separates a professional chaplain from one who is more by title only.

1. Have an advanced degree - Did you know that more than 50% of the surveyed public safety chaplains in South Carolina hold a Master's degree or higher, and at least 16 of those have their doctorate? Many of these may be "theology" degrees, but even with those, many must have training in counseling, non-profit and organizational management, and leadership. Many of these chaplains hold higher degrees that specialize in chaplaincy.

2. Extra Training. Like our first responders, our public safety chaplains have a lot of extra training. They have not only the basic training in chaplaincy (Essentials and 12 Basic Courses), but have advanced training in…

   1. Suicide prevention/intervention

   2. Counseling (Individual, Group, Family, crisis, grief/loss, etc.)

   3. Have training in the law as it pertains to chaplaincy.

   4. First Responder Behavioral Health

   5. Basic medical

   6. Basic firefighting, EMS, or police operations
      

3. Be a member of the team. Professional chaplains realize that they do not work in a vacuum. They must network and rely on chaplains throughout the state and the nation. Some examples are:

   1. National Organizations (Federation of Fire Chaplains, International Conference of Police Chaplains)

   2. Regional Organizations (South Carolina Public Safety Chaplains Association, Louisiana Fire Chaplains, New York Fire Chaplains, SC FAST)
      

4. Be an active member of your department. A professional public safety chaplain is no different than any member of the department. They may hold a specialist position, but they learn to work in coordination with the rest of the response team to affect the rescue. A professional public safety chaplain will….

   1. Participate in and go to weekly drills/training.

   2. Work shifts with the crews

   3. Have regular hours and be available to talk.
      

5. Dress for the part. As a member of the department a professional public safety chaplain will wear clothing that identifies them within the command structure. We are a para-military organization, and our clothing reflects that. While a chaplain may not have multiple uniforms, they should at least have some basics. It is suggested that a chaplain have at least a Class-A and daily station wear.

6. Keep up on the latest training. Just as a professional first responder is not satisfied with the training that came out of recruit school the professional public safety chaplain is never satisfied with the level of understanding that they got in school. A professional public safety chaplain will continue to…

   1. Read books.

   2. Read trade journals (on chaplaincy, counseling, psychology, firefighting, law enforcement, EMS)

   3. Share this information with other chaplains.
      

7. Networking. Again, the professional public safety chaplain realizes that even though they may be the only one in their department, they will reach out to other chaplains in the area for…

   1. Accountability

   2. To learn from more experienced chaplains

   3. To learn from other chaplain disciplines (military, hospital, hospice, corrections)
      

8. Spiritual Growth. A chaplain is a chaplain because it is ultimately an expression of their faith. While it is easy to get sucked into this job, a professional public safety chaplain will be intentional about their own spiritual growth. If you don't fill your bucket, then you will have nothing to give. For that, the chaplain will…

   1. Stay strong in their faith.

   2. Know the signs of compassion fatigue and how that affects their spiritual growth.
      

9. Mental Health. We as public safety chaplains constantly preach about good mental health. But some of us have two jobs and find it hard to get away. As hard as it can be at times, a professional public safety chaplain will take intentional time away from the department. We expect our first responders to take their annual vacation to recharge, and so will the professional public safety chaplain.

10. Know your role. The professional public safety chaplain knows their role, and how that plays into the larger picture of the response of their agency. They know that when they are in chaplain mode, they are not a firefighter or police officer.

    1. Endorsed by your faith group. I know this can be a hard one for some people since some faith groups only ordain/commission certain people with certain training to be part of the clergy. I get this. However, the ordained/commissioned public safety chaplain has some benefits that the lay chaplain does not. Understand your faith tradition and what you can or cannot do. If possible, get that endorsement.