First Responders comprise a large and tightly interwoven family linked with one another across the nation. Collectively, they are our most valuable but also most vulnerable public servants. The many stressors accompanying their unique jobs are life-altering and greatly impact the quality of life for them and their families. First Responders serve and protect us daily, often putting their health and even their lives in peril. Yet the public that relies constantly on their vigilance and skills understand little of the sacrifices they endure for our benefit.

This book shares in depth the work of the Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist’s First Responder Chaplaincy Program’s (FRCP) team members, who essentially function as First Responders to the First Responders. It includes the FRCP’s history, development, staffing and training, and is a comprehensive, descriptive and quantitative effort to highlight and value its work.