Colorado —
FFRF stopped a chaplain program from being forced onto employees in the South Metro Fire/Rescue department in Centennial, Colo.
An SMFR employee reported that the department had several official chaplains, including a head chaplain who was allowed to send out quarterly newsletters to all employees. FFRF learned that the newsletter, called “Chaplain’s Corner,” was being sent to all personnel via official communication channels, and that employees had no way to opt-out of receiving it.
FFRF’s complainant reported that the newsletter promotes religion and specifically encourages personnel to believe in Christianity. An example provided came from the Jan. 1 newsletter, which promoted attendance at a Christian first responder’s retreat that included “strong biblical teaching” and “spirited worship.” The complainant expressed frustration with the quarterly newsletter and chaplain program, stating that they are “strongly agnostic” and believe that “moments of crises should be handled by professionals trained in peer support or crisis intervention.”
“There is no reason to think a non-Christian or nonreligious employee or citizen would be comfortable dealing with a person who provides comfort from a religious viewpoint,” FFRF Staff Attorney Sammi Lawrence wrote. “Chaplains cannot simply set aside their religion in order to assist a non-Christian or nonbeliever and are often unwilling to attempt to do so.”
After FFRF’s letter, Fire Chief Bob Baker addressed the concerns, and communicated changes that took place to correct the situation.
“First and specifically related to your expressed concerns for the ‘Chaplain’s Corner’ newsletter, we will begin with our next edition to provide an opt-out feature that can be selected before opening the content of the email. This will provide employees with the ability to no longer receive any communication regarding the chaplaincy program, if they so opt out,” Baker wrote. “Second, we are refocusing our efforts to provide chaplain services as a part of our Peer Support program, which provides a large variety of resources based on the specific needs of the employee.”
