The Changing Field of Firefighter Chaplaincy

From Simcoe Reformer:

Historical circumstances in Ontario produced a fire service which – for much of its history — was overwhelmingly male, white and Christian.

That is rapidly changing, says the chaplain of the Firefighters’ Association of Ontario, and fire services across the province would do well to acknowledge it.

“We all know that — if we were down in a fire – we don’t care if the person who shares their oxygen and drags us out of there is male or female, religious or not religious,” Rev. Stephen Berryman, of St. John’s Anglican Church in Cambridge, said during the FFAO’s annual memorial service on Saturday.

“We just need to know that they have the strength and the skills to save our lives and the lives of others. This is a first attempt at a revised memorial service. I would very much welcome your feedback.”

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