Lebanon County Edition
September 2012
Vol. 7 No. 9
Solace for Wounded Spirits In Crises, Volunteer EMS Chaplain Offers Comfort By Lori Van Ingen Frank Poley is there for families, patients, and EMS staff whenever tragedy strikes. “When suddenly someone loses a husband, wife, or even a child, I’m there for them. I feel for them. I stay on the scene until a coroner comes and I stay with the family as long as they want,” the volunteer chaplain said. Poley, an ordained chaplain with the Penn Del district of the Assemblies of God, doesn’t have any special training in chaplaincy. “What prepared me is my deep faith in the Lord above. All I do is open my mouth and God takes care of it. The right words come out,” he said. “One thing God has given me is an overdose of compassion.” Losing children is the hardest. The youngest one was only 5 days old when there was a home accident in which a parent fell asleep and accidentally smothered the child. He also helped the family of a 1-month-old, where it was later determined the baby died of shaken-baby syndrome caused by the father. “The EMTs were crying their eyes out. They could be anywhere else, but they chose to be first responders,” Poley said. “The doctor gave me the sign the baby was dead and I had to tell the dad. I also had to reach out to the mom, who was incarcerated. The warden allowed her to come to the hospital please see SOLACE page 14 Volunteer EMS chaplain Frank Poley is trained in CPR and first aid but said there is no special training needed “to love someone in troubled times.”
Inside:
79 Years of Outdoor Movies page 6
Elder Mediation Can Help Resolve Conflicts page 10