The Ultimate Devotional for First Responders and Those Who Serve Others
A Guide for Those Who Serve
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Part One – Emergency Management In part one we will discuss the five phases of emergency management from a biblical perspective. Often, we see four phases listed: mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. I like to add a fifth phase before mitigation and that is prevention. All phases are critical, but I would love to see prevention be given much more attention in every phase of our lives. While I advocate prevention, it must be recognized that we live in a fallen world, and we will all sin and make errors. Likewise, try as we might, other people’s actions or inactions can impact us negatively as well. Prevention – We should try to live as Jesus did. We are not Jesus though and we will falter. We can never be good enough. We can prevent many bad things from happening if we will just follow God’s instructions. How do you help others prevent bad things from happening? Mitigation - We cannot mitigate sin. Sin is sin. In fact, to try to mitigate sin on our own is a bad idea. The greatest news is found in this category. Jesus took on all our sin. It is only through His sacrifice and our acknowledgment of His sacrifice for each of us that we can have our sin mitigated though his Holy name. How do you help others mitigate the storms they face in life? Preparedness – We should live everyday prepared for it to be our last. In other words, we need to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. You might not have tomorrow to do it. Then it is too late. Are you prepared right now to meet Jesus? How do you help others prepare for life’s emergencies? Respond – How do we respond when we hear the Good News. Do we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior? In order to respond we must have heard, seen, or felt something to begin with. Do you send out messages for others to respond? Have others sent out messages that you recognized, and how did you respond? Recovery – This occurs once we accept Jesus into our hearts. This is a lifelong process by the way. We will not be perfect, but do we live daily walking with Jesus. Do we do our best to live as Jesus wants us to live. When we fall do we get back up and keep walking with Jesus. Can people see Jesus in you? What is your level of resiliency or to ability bounce back? How have you or would you help others bounce back? Emergencies, Disasters, and other Bad Things Management Thus says the Lord God, ‘A disaster, unique disaster, behold it is coming! Ezekiel 7:5 If you have studied or work in the field of emergency management, you will recognize the first four or five topic titles as the phases of emergency management. First, we need to think all hazards when dealing with emergencies, disasters, and other bad things. It is important to acknowledge that disasters, emergencies, and other bad things will happen no matter how hard we ty to avoid them. We can do things to avoid these calamities as well as reduce their impact and to recover from them. It is not a matter of if we will have to deal with the storms that life will surely bring but when. Some storms we can avert by living as God has instructed us. Other storms we can manage better, again, by living as God has instructed us. Before we can help or serve others, we must have our own house and plans in order. We can set the example for others. By preparing ourselves we will be better able to serve and help others in times of need. All disasters, no matter how big or small, are unique. However, each type of hazard or disaster carries with it common elements or potential damages and effects. For instance, we know fire has its own chemical components. Windstorms be they hurricanes, tornadoes, derechos, etc. carry with them certain types of potential damage. We can predict to some degree what to expect. We know what to prepare for. We know things we can do to mitigate damages. In some cases, we can even help prevent certain types of disasters in life. It would not be wise to prepare for only one type of disaster so we must always think all hazards. Hazards and threats are different. Hazards are naturally occurring or by accident. Threats are human caused. Threats often come from purposeful acts such as crime and terrorism. Preventing Emergencies, Disasters, and other Bad Things I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you. Psalm 32:8 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach. James 1:5 He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. Psalm 25:9 The Bible is the best book ever written covering every aspect of emergency management. God does not wish us harm. He actually wants us to not be harmed. He wants a relationship with us. The above three scriptures use the words instruct and teach, give wisdom to those who lack it, and guide the humble and teach what is right. All these actions can help us prevent bad things from happening. Of course, we know bad things will still happen, but we do have some control over things. Has God given you wisdom to share? Do you share it? Are you humble? To be taught one must watch and listen or read. To be counselled one must be willing and open one’s eyes, ears, and heart, and engage the brain. One must acknowledge they might lack wisdom to gain wisdom or can always gain more wisdom. Of course, all of this is based on having humility to recognize where and who one is.
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About the Book
This devotional is designed for those who serve others. Service includes but is not limited to emergency management, emergency medical services, military personnel, firefighters, first responders, law enforcement, dispatchers / 911 operators, transportation workers, social services personnel, emergency volunteers, and the list goes on. These servants can be found at the local, state, and federal levels as well as private citizens, faith-based individuals, and organizations alike. There are many ways and terms used to describe those who serve others. For the purpose of this devotional, we will use the term “responder.” We often hear this term phrased as “first responder.” However, service to others goes beyond the first responder role. Likewise, it is appropriate to use the term “responder” since that is what you are doing. You are responding to the needs of others. You are also responding to God’s call. The devotional is designed to focus on those who serve others.
About the Author
Dr. Jeff Fox served for twenty-seven years in the field of criminal justice, twenty-one of which were with the Virginia State Police (VSP). He began his law enforcement career as a military policeman in the US Army and served as a town police officer, trooper, sergeant, first sergeant, and lieutenant. He served as a field lieutenant with the state police and served as the assistant training officer where he managed the daily operations of the training academy. He also served as the statewide incident management program manager for the Virginia Department of Transportation in the operations and security division. Jeff earned an AAS degree in police science from Germanna Community College, a BLS degree in criminal psychology and sociology from Mary Washington College, and an MS degree in criminal justice administration from Virginia Commonwealth University. He earned an MBA degree with a specialization in criminal justice, and he earned a PhD in business administration with a specialization in homeland security from Northcentral University. He is a graduate of the Southern Police Institute administrative employees course and the Virginia Commonwealth Management Institute. Jeff completed the Virginia State Police Basic Academy, Rappahannock Regional Criminal Justice Academy, and Military Police School. Jeff has been teaching at various colleges and universities since 2001. He retired from state service as the program coordinator and assistant professor for the Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness and Criminal Justice Cohort Programs for Virginia Commonwealth University in Martinsville, Virginia. Jeff served as an assistant professor and chair of the Public Safety Adult Degree Completion Programs (Bachelors) (Criminal Justice and Homeland Security and Emergency Management) for a private college in Virginia. While the assistant training officer for the VSP, he collaborated with the University of Virginia, and together they created the National Criminal Justice Command College. Jeff’s full-time job now is as public safety trainer/educator/consultant for his company called Fox - Public Safety Training, Educating, and Consulting, LLC. He has been an associate dean, program chair, program coordinator, associate and assistant professor, lecturer, and adjunct. He has taught homeland security, emergency management, and criminal justice courses for nine Christian colleges and universities over the past twenty years. Jeff spent twenty years instructing over four thousand hours at various criminal justice academies in a variety of criminal justice, leadership, ethics, and instructor development courses as a certified instructor. Jeff has taught hundreds of academically based criminal justice and homeland security/emergency preparedness classes, which included over 18,500 classroom hours. Jeff has spent over 22,500 hours instructing. He has taught over eighty-five criminal justice topics in police academies. Jeff has received over 167 commendations during his career in public service. These commendations range from criminal and traffic enforcement to major drug seizures, educational efforts, community service, crime prevention, traffic safety, and life-saving attempts. For more information about Jeff’s training, education, and consulting services through Fox Public Safety, LLC, contact him at https://www.fox-publicsafety.com/home.html or foxpublicsafety@gmail.com.