About This Program

The purpose of a Certified Master Chaplain is to create a new breed of Chaplain to meet the needs of Homeland Security tasking. This project incorporates the use of the Chaplain as utilized in the military structure i.e., Commander’s Personal Staff Chaplain to correspond with the civilian position on the Command Staff of the Incident Commander. The Chaplain deploys as an Agency Representative (AREP) or Technical Specialist (THSP) under the Incident Command Structure, Incident Commander Command Staff, to be titled Homeland Security/ Emergency Management Chaplain.

By mirroring the military Chaplain position into the Incident Command Structure it creates a Certified Master Chaplain position in the mix to give for the first time the incident commander a religious support Technical Specialist (THSP). This is much like the General Staff (personal staff) chaplain position for the military commander.

This chaplain position can be implemented through the duties of Agency Representative or Technical Specialist, as articulated in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security U.S. Coast Guard Incident Management Handbook (U.S. Coast Guard COMDTPUB P3120.17A Aug. 2006) as follows:

Agency Representative (AREP): In many multi-jurisdiction incidents, an agency or jurisdiction may send an AREP who is not on direct tactical assignment, but is there to assist in coordination of efforts.
An AREP is an individual assigned to an incident from an assisting or cooperating agency who has delegated authority to make decisions on matters affecting that agency’s participation at the incident.
AREP’s report to the Liaison Officer (LNO) or to the Incident Commander (IC) in the absence of an LNO. This is the perfect location for the Certified Master/ Emergency Management Chaplain.

Course Authors/Advisors

Dr. Fair is a nationally recognized expert in disaster and trauma. During the last 20 years, he ha David Fair Picture s been deployed to countless natural and manmade, disasters to assist law enforcement, firefighters, various other rescue workers, and survivors. A sampling of his deployments include participation in recovery efforts and/or mental health services with the Branch Davidian siege in Waco, TX, the Oklahoma City bombings, Ground Zero in NYC following 911, the NASA Columbia Space Shuttle disaster in Texas, the Latter Day Saints - Yearning for Zion Ranch incident in Texas, as well as providing disaster assistance prior to and after hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Dolly and Ike.
Dr. Fair is a licensed peace officer and has served as a law enforcement chaplain for over 25 years. He also serves as a military chaplain, having worked with soldiers suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Combat Stress, and Terroristic Trauma Syndrome. He is a member of the Board of the Academy of Certified Chaplains, is on the editorial review board for Inside Homeland Security, serves as President of the American Association of Police Officers, and CEO of Homeland Crisis Institute.

To make available his extensive training, knowledge and experiences, Dr. Fair makes himself available on a limited basis for workshops, trainings, conferences, etc. He may be contacted by email at: ChaplainDFair@gmail.com or phone at (512) 289 – 9705.

Dr. Warden is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the State of Texas, with a private practice Leatha Warden Picture located in Brownwood. She specializes in working with individuals struggling with trauma, to include Post Traumatic Stress, Combat Stress, and Terroristic Trauma Syndrome. She is an anger management specialist, and holds advanced certification in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, as well as holding numerous other certifications. Dr. Warden has been a chaplain for over 10 years, and has served as a Certified Crisis Police Chaplain for over eight years. She has also served as the Clinical Director of Brownwood Police Chaplain Services for over five years.

Both as a police chaplain and a professional counselor, Dr. Warden has counseled many law enforcement officers, corrections officers, Texas Youth Commission personnel, emergency medical service personnel, as well as their family members. She has a successful track record in being able to help people understand, work through and resolve tough issues. Dr. Warden has provided countless Critical Incident Stress Management/Debriefings throughout the State of Texas, and has been deployed throughout the Southern United States to assist with numerous natural and manmade disasters. She has been deployed by both State and Federal agencies/organizations.

As an avid, and often humorous speaker on mental health and a variety of other issues, Dr. Warden makes herself available on a limited basis for workshops, trainings, conferences, etc. She may be contacted at L.S.Warden.PhD@gmail.com or by phone at (325) 647 – 4918. You may also contact her through Dr. Fair at: ChaplainDFair@gmail.com or phone at (512) 289 – 9705.

Learning Objectives

Chaplains or potential chaplains attending the course will be able to:

Understand common key responsibilities applicable to all personnel in an Incident Command System (ICS) Operation.
Provide input on the use of religious support (chaplain/debriefing) resources.
Ensure the well being of agency personnel assigned to the incident.
Be responsible for Critical Incident Stress Management.
Comprehend the National Framework Structure for Emergency Management.
Be familiar with Light Our Way document from NVOAD for general religious support.
Understand the Emergency Support Function (ESP) structure and its relation to religious support and critical incident stress debriefing services.
Understand the basic concept of the Incident Management Team structure as articulated by the U.S. Fire Administration.