Emergency counselling: District hands over waistcoats to church districts

A serious accident is a severe emotional burden and an absolutely exceptional situation for the relatives of a victim. During these hours, those affected are usually supported and cared for by emergency counsellors - often directly at the scene of the accident. The district has now presented the church districts in Waldeck-Frankenberg with emergency waistcoats for their work.

Professional counselling for psychological emergencies
Fires, accidents, suicides or violent crimes: Emergency counselling for traumatic events is part of psychosocial emergency care and is provided in Waldeck-Frankenberg to a large extent by the pastors in the district, but also by numerous trained volunteers. Their help is aimed at people who are affected by sudden emergencies - as survivors, relatives, surviving dependants, witnesses or first responders. Emergency counselling is a professional support service and an ecumenical offer from the churches for all people - regardless of religion or denomination.

61 deployments in 2023
Last year alone, the emergency chaplains were involved in 61 deployments in Waldeck-Frankenberg; this year, they have already been involved in 18. They are usually alerted by the Waldeck-Frankenberg district control centre when the emergency services on site request them. They then rush to the scene of the accident in addition to the emergency services and provide emotional support to those affected. The 35 purple waistcoats, which the district has purchased and handed over to the church districts for emergency pastoral care, are intended to make it easier for pastors and volunteers to work at the scene of an accident. This is because they are a visible sign of recognition for those affected and also offer those working in emergency pastoral care a certain degree of work safety.

They were handed over by Karl-Friedrich Frese, First District Councillor of the district, to Petra Hegmann, Dean of the Eder church district, Pastor Jörg Schultze, the representative for emergency pastoral care in the Twiste-Eder church district, standing in for Dean Eva Brinke-Kriebel, and Pastor Sabrina Niemeyer, who is the coordinator for emergency pastoral care in the Waldeck-Frankenberg district and the representative for emergency pastoral care in the Eder church district.

"All the people who work in emergency counselling do unimaginable things. After all, they provide comfort and hope in moments of suffering and pain, help with grief and farewells and can help people deal with feelings of powerlessness and come to terms with traumatic experiences," says Karl-Friedrich Frese, First District Councillor of the district. "As a district, we are therefore very happy to support this important work, which is increasingly being carried out by volunteers."

Keywords:

Specialist rescue service, fire protection and disaster control