While not every public safety department has a chaplain, many do, including some here in Utah County. The chaplains fill a variety of roles, while trying to help and support the members of the department for which they serve — everything from police officer well-being to ensuring that firefighters stay hydrated while fighting a fire.

Police

Evan Coates has served as Pleasant Grove Police Department’s chaplain for about a year and a half. “I wanted to connect somehow with law enforcement and first responders. I used to be an EMT and saw some stuff. Then, I became a therapist and wanted to go to the police academy. I thought, ‘How can I help with PTSD in police officers?'” Coates said.

Coates said he hangs out with the officers, trying to be there for their mental health needs. For example, one officer had a family member pass away and another’s son had an accident. Officers can deal with marital and family problems, and they often have post-traumatic stress disorder because of what they see and experience while on the job.

“They see bodies, they are called to suicides,” he said. “Then, they call me.”

The chaplaincy role is a non-denominational one, according to Coates. While some officers do talk religion with him, others don’t. They just want somebody to be there. “It’s not therapy because I don’t have a treatment plan. I just allow people to talk through situations and get them connected with resources,” he said.

“There’s a different kind of spirituality, different kind of connection,” Coates said. “I go out with them in the police car, it’s a real-time connection. There’s a brotherly kind of thing there, I’m one of them.”

Because Coates is POST-certified, POST stands for Peace Officer’s Standards and Training, he does wear a police uniform when he is riding along with the officers. As a chaplain, he reports directly to the department’s captain and chief. While he primarily works to help the officers, he also goes out with them on death notifications at times.

“I think everyone is trying to keep officers and first responders sane right now. If an officer is working on himself and connecting with his community with true empathy, then they certainly are connecting spiritually. With that, they are able to do more community policing and not an us versus them mentality,” Coates said. “We’re all humans. We’re not higher, lower, superior, inferior. We’ve got to help each other out.”

Fire and Rescue

Ted Taylor has been Orem Fire Department’s chaplain for about five years. After a career as a sheriff’s deputy and medic in Riverside County, California, Taylor moved to Utah and began a next career as a teacher. But, he wanted to do something to give back.

“One of the guys who really helped me out was our department chaplain. It had been in the back of my mind continuously to give back what I had gotten throughout my career. He really helped me out of some real dark places,” Taylor said. “I went to Orem Public Safety and asked them and they didn’t have one. So, I began training.”

Taylor said that first responder chaplaincy is different than what a lot of people think.

“A first responder chaplaincy is a chaplaincy of presence, meaning I’m available 24/7 whether I am there or not. If a firefighter or paramedic needs anything, they can call me anytime,” he said. “I work a couple of shifts a month. I’m always available to them in some way, shape or form.”

A fire department chaplain can have a variety of duties, including offering prayers at department events and ceremonies. But, the real meat of what Taylor’s ministry is is being a peer support counselor to the individuals in the department. “We have our chaplaincy and peer support team and we work together. My main focus are my firefighters and my paramedics. I am available to them for anything. If a firefighter calls me and says I’m having family problems or job troubles, substance abuse, emotional issues, I’m available.”

Recently, Orem paramedics responded to a serious traffic accident, which took the lives of two people. “It was an extremely traumatic scene — treating on scene, transporting people, extricating from vehicles,” Taylor said. “We had that scene occur and then I get called and I come down for a debrief. I sit down with everyone that was involved in the incident. We generally talk about what each person did, how they’re feeling about it, what’s weighing heavily on their mind and heart and we talk about it. I let them vent and express their emotions.”

Taylor said that there is a stigma in the first responder community — don’t be weak. “We see things that nobody should see and are asked to kind of suck that up, don’t be weak, tuck it away and forget about it and move on to the next call,” he said. “After a while, that trauma turns into cumulative trauma and pretty soon, you have ten years of trauma that you’ve never addressed.”

One night, Taylor was with the department at an active residential fire. He said that his duty was to run a rehab area for firefighters. He provided food, water and more while also tending to their mental health.

“Once the scene was finished, my job was to help with clean up. What’s satisfying about it for me is that I’m doing a service for the firefighters as they are doing what they’re trained to do. I’m providing a service that enables them to be the very best they can be on that family’s worst day,” Taylor said.

County Jail

Tim Clark has been the Utah County Jail chaplain for nine years. Before joining the county jail, he was chaplain at the Utah State Prison for five years. As a jail chaplain, he works with inmates who are trying to change their lives.

“I am the non-denominational chaplain. I work with anyone who doesn’t have a volunteer religious person who works with them,” Clark said. Volunteers from various religious denominations regularly serve at the jail.

The majority of Clarks’ time is spent working in pods with inmates to help them change their underlying belief patterns that are causing them to harm themselves. Through a program, “EQ Mastery,” they are taught to reflect on their actions that may go against their potential and happiness.

“They know what they should be doing. They know their life would be so much better than what they are doing. They know they are making mistakes. They just can’t get themselves to not make the mistakes. When they come here, we get a chance to help them.”

In addition to the classes that Clark holds for the inmates, he meets with them one-on-one. “Most people don’t understand that drug addiction is to suppress part of who they are. We look for the reason why,” Clark said.

“We want them to permanently make that change. They go out and become productive citizens,” he said. “That’s what we want them to do. We want them to have pleasant lives.”

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