A veteran Steinbach firefighter who retired as deputy chief about 15 years ago, after 25 years of service, is now serving as the chaplain for the fire department. Pat Peters took on that role about a year ago and explains what it all involves.

"We prefer, or at least myself, I see a chaplain more in a position of supplementing, to be there in a crisis situation, to be available. And, more than anything else, it's to listen, to empathize, just to be there. To people who are perceived to be having difficulties, we can say; Have you thought of seeing so and so, or have you thought of going there? We will encourage people to deal with those individuals who have the experience and the knowledge to deal with specific problems. We, on the other hand, as chaplains, we are there to walk alongside them."

Peters says when he retired from the fire department around 2004, he had no desire to return. But then he was invited to come back as an assistant dispatcher and felt a nudge to accept the position. That was when he started to watch the firefighters and see the stress that they are under. He notes that stress is cumulative, from the challenges of everyday life, to always being on call, to helping people who are having their worst day.

"I started watching them and said; Is there anything more that I could see myself doing? I started becoming involved in what is called Critical Incident Stress Management. I took some courses, became involved in that and found myself even more intrigued and more interested in people's lives and how they were working through these situations and scenarios. That is when I felt 'the call', and I began to become interested and felt there was more that I could do in this department. I was at a particular seminar/course and the term chaplaincy came up and immediately, I glommed onto that term. I said this is something that intrigues me, it interests me. That was 2014-15. I took several courses, certified courses in Arkansas and Washington, they were both fantastic courses. And it took approximately four years from that point to shape and to formulate how a chaplaincy role, or position, could be integrated into the Steinbach Fire Department."

Peters says since taking on the role late last fall, he has found a number of firefighters tapping him on the shoulder.

"Yes, very often on a very informal basis because that's, after all, what a chaplain does, walk alongside someone. It is extremely important that people do know that they have a place to go, that somebody will listen. I have been very, very blessed to know that people say; Pat, do you have minute? Yes, I always have a minute for that."