chaplainsdesk

Why do we use this symbol?

The Story of the Maltese Cross
The badge of a fireman is
the Maltese Cross. This
Maltese Cross is a symbol of
protection and a badge of
honor. Its story is hundreds
of years old.

When a courageous band of crusaders,
the Knights of St. John, fought the
Saracens for possession of the Holy
Lands, they were faced with a new
device of war – fire.

As the crusaders advanced on
Jerusalem, the Saracens pelted them
with glass bombs full of naphtha and
then threw down flaming torches.
Hundreds of knights were burned alive
while others risked their lives to save
their kinsmen from painful deaths. Thus
these became the first firefighters.
Their heroic efforts were recognized by
fellow crusaders who awarded them
with a badge of honor similar to the
cross firefighters wear today.

Since the Knights of St. John lived
nearly four centuries on the island of
Malta, in the Mediterranean Sea, the
cross came to be known as the Maltese
Cross. The firefighter who wears this
cross is willing to lay down his life for
others, just as the crusaders sacrificed
their lives for their fellow man so many
years ago.

WEBSOURCE

Copyright © 2005 North Shore Fire
Department, All Rights Reserved

The Chaplain is reading...

102 Minutes
Eyewitness and first hand accounts of
those who shared the 102 minutes
inside the WTC on the morning of
September 11. Ordinary citizens who
reported to work on an ordinary day
and ended up in the center of the
extraordinary.

The Chaplain has read...

Last Man Down
by Richard Picciotto

FDNY Deputy Chief Richard Picciotto
recounts his experience of the morning
of September 11, 2001, when he
responded to the North Tower of the
WTC and survived being buried in the
rubble of the collapse.

F irefighter Rescue and Survival
by Richard Kolomay
and Robert Hoff

A great book that teaches RIT practices
and firefighter safety and survival skills
from a proactive perspective. Methods
and procedures are outlined in picture
and diagram.

Report from Ground Zero by
Dennis Smith: Plume Books
The New York Times Bestseller on the
events of September 11, 2001; delving
into the spiritual, physical, and
emotional side of the New York
firefighters, EMTs, and other
emergency personnel and first
responders who bravely rushed into the
World Trade Center at 8:46 am that
morning as thousands of civilians were
running out. A minute by minute
account of one of the most tragic,
terrifying, and yet heroic periods in
American history and in the history of
firefighting...

Also Recommended....

9/11 DVD

From the Back Cover
On the morning of September 11, 2001,
brothers Jules and Gedeon Naudet were
working on a documentary about a
rookie New York City firefighter.
Hearing a roar in the sky, Jules turned
his camera upward--just in time to film
the only existing image of the first plane
crashing into the World Trade Center.
In a fateful instant, Jules and Gedeon
became eyewitnesses to the most
shocking and defining incident of our
time.
With cameras rolling, the Naudets
followed NYC firefighters into the heart
of what would be known as Ground
Zero. What emerged is an unforgettably
powerful visual document and a stirring
tribute to real-life heroes who, in their
city's darkest hour, rose to
extraordinary acts of courage and
compassion.

From the Chaplain...
Another powerful documentary piece of
history that goes deeper than media
coverage to look into the fears, hopes,
bravery, and tragedy of the NYFD on
September 11, 2001. A human look at
the brave souls who rush in when
others rush out...

Are You Experiencing
Critical Incident Stress?

Every time the tones drop, each
Emergency Responder has the
potential of encountering, or being
overcome by, critical incident stress.

"Critical Incident Stress" arises from seeing, feeling, emotionally
attaching to, or experiencing personal trauma or trauma inflicted
upon others.   If a responder comes upon a car accident involving
a child, and they have a child or children of similar age at home;
they are more susceptible to critical incident stress. If a
responder makes decisions on the fire ground that he or she later
perceives to have caused, or failed to prevent, the death or injury
of a victim, he or she may suffering critical incident stress.   The
injury or death of a fellow firefighter may bring on critical
incident stress.

Sometimes the emotional after-shocks (or stress reactions) appear
immediately after the traumatic event. Sometimes they may
appear a few hours or a few days later. And, in some cases,
weeks or months may pass before the stress reactions appear.

The signs and symptoms of a stress reaction may last a few days,
a few weeks or a few months and occasionally longer, depending
on the severity of the traumatic event. With understanding and
the support of loved ones, the stress reactions usually pass more
quickly. Occasionally, the traumatic event is so painful that
professional assistance from a counselor may be necessary. This
does not imply craziness or weakness. It simply indicates that the
particular event was just too powerful for the person to manage
by themselves. Here are some very common signs and signals of
a stress reaction:

Symptoms of Critical Incident Stress are as follows:

PHYSICAL:
Fatigue, thirst, headaches, visual difficulties, vomiting, grinding of
teeth, weakness, dizziness, profuse sweating, chills, rapid heart rate,
nausea, muscle tremors, twitches, chest pain, * difficulty breathing,
elevated blood pressures, * shock symptoms, fainting, etc.
(*Indicates the need for medical evaluation).

COGNITIVE:(AFFECTING THOUGHTS):
blaming someone, confusion, poor attention, poor decisions,
heightened or lowered alertness, poor concentration, memory
problems, hyper-vigilance, difficulty identifying familiar
objects/people, increased or decreased awareness of surroundings,
poor problem solving, poor abstract thinking, loss of time, place, or
person orientation, disturbed thinking, nightmares, intrusive
images, etc.

EMOTIONAL:
anxiety, guilt, grief, denial, severe panic (rare), emotional shock,
fear, uncertainty, loss of emotional control, depression,
inappropriate emotional response, apprehension, feeling
overwhelmed, intense anger, irritability, agitation, etc.

BEHAVIORAL:
change in activity, change in speech patterns, withdrawal,
emotional outbursts, suspiciousness, change in usual
communications, loss or increase of appetite, alcohol consumption,
inability to rest, antisocial acts, nonspecific bodily complaints, hyper-
alertness to environment, intensification of startle reflex, pacing,
erratic movements, change in sexual functioning, etc.

What should you do?

YOU YOURSELF:

*          Within the first 24-48 hours, periods of strenuous
   physical exercise.

*          Structure your time—keep busy.

*          You are normal and having normal reactions. Don’t
   label yourself crazy.

*        Talk to people. Talk is the most healing medicine.

*        Be aware of numbing the pain with overuse of drugs or
alcohol. You don’t need to complicate this with a
substance abuse problem.

*        Reach out—people do care.

*        Maintain as normal a schedule as possible.

*        Spend time with others.

*        Help your co-workers as much as possible by sharing
feelings and checking out how they are doing.

*        Give yourself permission to feel rotten and share your
feeling with others.

*        Keep a journal, write your way through those sleepless
hours.

*        Do things that feel good to you.

*        Realize that those around you are under stress.

*        Don’t make any big life changes.

*        Do make as many daily decisions as possible which will
give you a feeling of control over your life, i.e., if
someone asks you what you want to eat—answer
them, even if you aren’t sure.

*        Get plenty of rest.

*        Recurring thoughts, dreams, or flashbacks are normal—
don’t try to fight them—they’ll decrease over time and
become less painful.

*        Eat well-balanced and regular meals (even if you don’t feel
like it).

FOR FAMILY MEMBERS AND FRIENDS

1.         Listen carefully and spend time with the person who is
   hurting.

2.         Offer your assistance and a listening ear even if they
   have not asked for help.

3.         Reassure them that they are safe.

4.         Help them with everyday tasks like cleaning, cooking,
   caring for the family, minding children.

5.         Give them some private time.

6.         Don’t take their anger or other feelings personally.

7.         Don’t tell them that they are "lucky it wasn’t worse"
   —traumatized people aren’t consoled by that. Tell
   them you’re sorry this event has occurred and that
   you want to understand and help.

Critical Incident Stress is real and affects first responders in many
different ways.

As firefighters, we should never be too proud to participate in
Critical Stress Debriefings following a death on the fireground or
other traumatic incident. Those few moments of connecting to
one another or saying what you feel can be as critical as the
golden hour in saving a life----YOUR OWN.

WebSource

Drawn from material developed by the Allegheny Crisis
Intervention Team, Pittsburgh, PA, with direct quotes from their
webpage as linked above.

The Rush

Words of Reflection by Rev. Jeff Wargo, Chaplain

Recently, Engine 42 was dispatched to one of our local
residences where a fully involved, yet unoccupied, car fire
was in progress.

Several of us had been at the property prior to the call, watching a demolition derby at the
invitation of the property owner. There were about 300 other people there.

In the middle of the race, one of the cars dropped its oil pan...a fire began in the
undercarriage and, before long, the car was smoking.   In an effort to extinguish the flames,
someone flipped the car with a payloader. The flames got worse. Then the car was righted
and dirt was dumped on the vehicle. The fire extended into the cab.

At this point, the car became fully involved.   Crowds drew closer when they should have been
backing away and the tires on the car began to blow.

It wasn't long before the tones dropped and several of us raced to the station to catch our first
out Engine and respond to the fire.

Since I have been on the company, we have never responded to an incident before only to be
greeted by a standing ovation and wide audience.

We pulled the engine up and packed up, pulling a hoseline and attacking the fire as trained.

In time, the flames went out, the car was tipped, and they roared back again.

A second attack commenced, followed by overhaul and, finally, the incident cleared.

As we were packing up our equipment, the adrenalin and emotional rush of the event kicked
in. Children were asking for our pictures, folks we all knew pretty well were applauding our
actions, and it almost seemed as if we were celebrities.

There's a draw for the average citizen and children--it is an intangible draw that brings an
adrenalin rush to them when they see a fire and firefighters. It's similar to the rush we feel
when attacking the flames, but their rush is mixed with one of gratitude and thankfulness.

It would be easy for one to become grandiose in such a situation.   For me, and for the other
guys on that run, it was pretty clear that we were just doing what we do. For those watching,
we were doing something extraordinary.

Someone once told me that the world is very small.   Everywhere you go, you're not far away
from someone who knows you or knows someone who knows you. You are always being
judged by how you appear before others.

For firefighters, the important message here is this: We should always be aware that we are
being watched and that our actions reflect not only on us but on the waves of firefighters that
have come before us and will come after. How we handle ourselves, may draw others to the
service we share--or turn their support away from us.

In the midst of the rush, there should be a sense of humility--at how blessed we are to be
able to do the job we do--at how respected we are for doing the job we do--and at how fragile
that respect can be.

May our rush of adrenalin always be accompanied by a rush of humility...for that is one mark
of a true servant to others.