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What do public safety chaplains do?

Chaplains serve those that serve us.

Police and Fire chaplains are typically volunteers imbedded in police & fire agencies, providing crisis intervention, emotional, & spiritual support to the First Responders.  On the scene, Chaplains support shocked, grieving, or otherwise traumatized family members & bystanders, allowing the First Responders to focus on their critical work. Chaplains help First Responders & the grieving through difficult situations of all kinds, providing support services where they are needed most.  Chaplains often follow First Responders back to their stations after incidents to continue supporting those impacted by an incident.

Watch the two-minute video below:

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What does the CAPS-TC organization do?

CAPS-TC supports Thurston County First Responders by supporting the public safety chaplains.

 

•    CAPS-TC (Chaplains Association for Public Safety – Thurston County) is a non-profit, NGO (non-governmental agency) that supports the work being done by the volunteer police and fire chaplains associated with the different Law Enforcement, Fire/EMS, 911 Dispatch and Coroner agencies throughout Thurston County.
•    CAPS-TC supports the chaplain’s ability to work across department lines, otherwise known as “mutual aid”.
•    To facilitate this mutual aid, chaplains receive specialized training, safety equipment, identifying clothing and insurance from CAPS-TC assuring consistency between chaplains from multiple agencies.  CAPS-TC’s assistance in fulfilling a chaplain request assures that every time a chaplain is requested, a trained chaplain will respond.  On-scene first responders can quickly identify these CAPS-TC trained and identified chaplains and be comfortable in assigning them to the support functions needed at the time.  CAPS-TC chaplains respond anywhere in the county any time, day or night.
•    In areas where the work of chaplains could be construed as “religious,” governmental agencies such as police, fire, dispatch, etc., cannot fund chaplains with tax dollars; that is where CAPS-TC steps in.  Chaplains volunteer their time, and CAPS-TC works to support their efforts by providing them with some financial resources and equipment that they might not otherwise receive.  It is important to CAPS-TC that out-of-pocket costs borne by the chaplains while providing service is kept as low as possible.

 

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What does CAPS-TC do with the dollars donated?

CAPS-TC uses your donations to support the mission of the Chaplains.

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•    CAPS-TC fund-raising and grant proceeds are used to coordinate and support chaplains regardless of which agency a chaplain may serve.
•    CAPS-TC funds support a nominal stipend for the Chaplains Coordinator, an active chaplain that also serves as the liaison between the various agencies and the CAPS-TC Board, as well as between the Board and the chaplains.
•    As Thurston County continues to grow, additional chaplains are needed; training and equipping a new chaplain can cost up to $2,500.
•    "Our administrative costs are carefully managed to ensure efficient operations and compliance, ultimately supporting our mission."

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