Firefighters, paramedics, police, and dispatchers helped save lives after Monday’s Amtrak derailment. But another group of first responders who don't get much attention is providing a different kind of care and will be assisting for weeks to come.
“People say, ‘Who rescues the rescuer? Who goes in and takes care of the police officers and firefighters?’ The chaplains do,” said Preston Bhang, executive director of the Tacoma Pierce County Chaplaincy.
His organization trains dozens of chaplains, whose phones will ring at all hours, asking them to help firefighters and police, by providing comfort, information, a hand to hold, and so much more.
As soon as he heard about the Amtrak crash, Bhang rushed to his office and helped dispatch volunteers across the county.
Twelve Pierce County chaplains assisted in the aftermath of the derailment, Bhang said. They notified families about who was injured or killed. They met with stunned witnesses whose morning commutes took a sudden, horrific turn. They were at hospitals, police departments, and fire stations.
“Forty-eight hours after this event, we know that firefighters police officers, first responders, dispatchers, they are coming down off of their adrenaline, and now is the time for them to share even a little bit more of what they're feeling,” Bhang said.
Bhang said one of the chaplains told him about a conversation with a member of a fire department command staff who told him “We could not have done this without you.”
“Some of their members were actually the ones that were in there pulling bodies out and separating the living from the dead and witnessing all of this trauma,” Bhang said.
And their job is not finished. Anguish, grief, and stress, are not as easy to spot as physical wounds. They linger, long after the scene is cleared.
“This is when public safety chaplains come in, and they assist to bring some comfort as people walk this walk,” Bhang said.