Here They Come!
By Chaplain Steve Brodehl
Here they come…everything will be OK now!!! This is the typical sense when a family hears our sirens and sees the lights as we roll up.
On serious medical calls where a life is being weighed in the balance, those around the victim are immediately infused with a certain measure of hope upon the arrival of the fire department. Their loved one is going to get better now, their family will not be torn apart by the loss of someone close or the possibilities of survival are simply increased because we have now appeared.
What they actually get is an “intrusion” into their own privacy. Clothing is often stripped from the loved one, needles are being inserted into their body, pipes are pushed down their throat, electrical shocks may begin being administered and those working on the victim, are speaking to each other in a language no one in the family understands. They are giving times, amounts and what may seem to be protracted statements of medical jargon than have no bearing on this situation.
In the midst of it all, the EMT is asking questions of the family and requiring immediate answers if possible.
If the victim does not pull through, then often times the police show up and begin an inquiry as to who, what and when did so many things take place prior to the family placing the 911 call.
Then we interrupt with questions such as “do you have a funeral home selected” and “would anyone like to see the deceased before they are removed from the home?”
For the family or friends who just witnessed all of this and are possibly still in the midst of this call, they have just experienced the full sliding scale of emotions. From hopelessness, to hope because “The Calvary” showed up; total loss at the news of their loved one not surviving and now a sense of accusation because the police are in the privacy of their home asking multiple question.
Chaplains…what is it that we want to remember and what is it that we need to share?
We want to remember that the survivors are at their emotional limits and may not react or respond kindly to our presence. I have heard Chaplains say, “I was there to support and encourage them and all I got was yelled at or even slapped. I didn’t deserve that!!!”
Don’t loose heart; you are that wealth of mercy, the depth of compassion and full bounty of grace. Yours is not to react to the emotions of those surrounding the event, but yours is to be the ever present extension of our Lord’s immeasurable touch of life. He is the giver, responder, filler and strengthener for you in the midst of these times.
There is none like the Lord, and so as you role up on scene next time, remember that your survivors may expect, react, and display toward you, any manner of outburst. Yours is to respond with that ever giving “ministry of presence”, allowing the gifts of our Lord to touch the lives of those who are so outpaced by the ferocity of the moment.
Thanks for the article. One thing that often helps me as a Chaplain when I feel as if I am being mistreated. That is, “Hurting people often hurt people.” Yes, we will be yelled at from time to time bearing the brunt of a person’s stress, but this is one reason why we as Chaplains are on the scene. We provide an outlet for victims and their families.
Having assisted hundreds of families in Africa while grieving over the lose of a loved one, I’ve come to realize that part of my function as a Chaplain is to be the Presence of Ministry for that family member to express their grief.
Never easy, but one facet of chaplaincy I highly value!
Just today I was asked by a family member as we waited in the emergency room. The family had just witnessed a prolong rescue attempt with CPR being administered to their mother. The oldest daughter asked me if most people survive this type of event. I want to lie, tell her something hopeful, but I didn’t I told her the truth. And through tears she said that was not what she wanted to hear. There was no comfort in knowing that the doctor had already called the code.
My hope is that God hears my prayer for this family and He will be their comfort.