Chaplain

Chaplain Ralph Modjeska

Ralph Modjeska, a Town of Merton resident, was appointed Department Chaplain by the Pewaukee Joint Fire/Rescue Commission on June 11th. He was a member of the Milwaukee Fire Department for more than 30 years until his retirement. Modjeska served on quite a number of pieces of apparatus during his career such as E8, 9, 27, 36, 38, L5, 7, 9, 12 and SQ4. Chaplain Modjeska also serves the Sussex and Town of Lisbon fire departments. He is a member of the Federation of Fire Chaplains, attended the Institute of Christian Studies and is in the process of becoming a deacon with the Episcopal Church. He also has a CISM ( Critical Incident Stress Management) certification.

From the Lake Country Reporter  Nov 8, 2004 edition

Ralph Modjeska retired after 30 years with the Milwaukee Fire Department and now sells insurance part time. But that is only part of his life.

After retiring, the Town of Merton resident missed the camaraderie that he enjoyed while working for the Fire Department, so he started thinking about getting involved with local fire depart­ments in some capacity again.

Then, he saw the after- effects of 9/11 and how they personally affected fire and police personnel. He also saw that police and fire depart­ments were looking for chaplains. It was then that things began to fall into place for Modjeska's new path.

After 9/11, "emergency services were looking for chaplains," he said. "My parish priest and bishop asked me if I would consider looking into becoming a chaplain. After thought and prayer and reflec­tion, I began training as a certified chaplain."

Modjeska was recently named chaplain of the Lisbon Police Department. He had already been serving for several years as chaplain of the Lisbon, Sussex and Pewaukee fire departments - all on a volunteer basis.

What people don't realize is that "when an alarm goes off, society today expects police and fire personnel to respond to the unknown and to the danger with­out any personal stress or emotional stress while they're handling a dangerous situa­tion. They're expected to be immune to the situation," he said.

"When they come back, they need time to unwind. They need someone to talk with. They need to know God is with them and that someone is praying for them."

Adults react to traumatic situations in different ways, he said. For some, "It really bothers them right away. Some take longer."

Modjeska helps people under­stand their situation and helps them put it into the past so they can move on. He will also follow up with them and pro­vide additional assistance if they need it.

His role as chaplain not only helps department members, but their families, as well. "I help in times of stress and in times of challenging circum­stances in their lives," he said.

"If members have to go to the hospital, I will be there when they go in and when they go out," said Modjeska.

"I do respond on-call to emergency situations," he added, noting the recent Redeemer United Church of Christ (UCC) fire. He spent time that night with some of the church leaders.

"I seem to be busier now than when I worked full time," he added.

The Lisbon Police Depart­ment was looking for a chaplain and got to know Modjeska through his work with the town's fire department. He began serving with the Police Department last month.

Modjeska has already responded to death notification calls with the department. "It's nice to have a chaplain come along for grief counseling and to be there for the victim's family members," said Lisbon's interim Police Chief Thomas Alioto.

"With our occupation, we need a spiritual push. We need that backing very much," said Pewaukee Fire Chief Matt Pinter, who said Modjeska is active with the department on a personal level and with the organization as a whole.

"It's his demeanor and his way of reaching each member of the department."

"He is good at keeping us human. He is the wall that keeps us from exploding or from keeping us from getting callous," said Pinter, who calls on Modjeska to help department members after stressful incidents. Modjeska is there for the department, and responds - whatever the situation. "For Ralph, anything goes," said Pinter.

Sussex Fire Department Cap­t. Greg Zoellick describes Modjeska as an active participant with the department. He was there for Zoellick when he suffered a knee injury. He was at the hospital, and he was there to give rides.

He provides the valuable service of "being there to talk to people after an accident," said Zoellick.

Between interviews for this story, Modjeska was busy transporting eyes from Madison to the Milwaukee County Medical Complex for transplant patients. Another time, he was on his way to the hospital to visit a firefighter.

Modjeska is a member of the Sussex Lions Club and volunteers as an eye transporter for the Gift of Sight program.

Lisbon Fire Chief Doug Brahm calls Modjeska a real asset to the department, because he "keeps up on what the department is doing."

"He is a good man and has helped us out a number of times over the past few years. He comes to our major business meetings and attends our open houses," said Brahm.

He also works to build morale within the department, Brahm added. "He builds them up and promotes confidence."

Modjeska believes the world needs more people to volunteer to serve others.

"Jesus is my savior and lord. He is the ultimate servant, and I use him as my example," he said.

Besides his state and federal certification as a chaplain, he has a two-year degree he earned from the Institute of Christian Studies.

He also trained in drug abuse inter­vention and in critical incident stress management to help police, fire and rescue personnel after traumatic incidents.

He helps in the "debriefing" of a larger group of emergency workers after a traumatic call, including fire, police, EMTs and the dispatchers who were involved with the call.

"Members of the local departments know that I've done their job, lived their job and gone through what they've gone through," Modjeska said. "They know I understand the complexity of the job and the dangers of the job, because I've lived that life too."

He explained that the role of a chaplain is different from that of a pastor. His "is a ministry of presence - to bring God's presence into the midst of any situation. It is also a ministry of prayer. I pray for them daily."

Modjeska is taking classes to be a clinical pastoral representative at Waukesha Memorial Hospital, working with rehabilitation patients. His ultimate goal is to work in the emergency room.

He is a member of the Waukesha County critical incident stress management team and a member of the Community of Hope pastoral care services.

He is deeply involved in his church and has a good rela­tion­ship with the clergy of other churches.

Films such as "Backdraft" and "Ladder 49" give the general public a pretty accurate view of what emergency crews go through. But it takes a person with the right background and the will to serve others, such as Modjeska, to make a difference in the lives of those whose job it is to serve others.

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