Longboat Fire Rescue welcomes new chaplain

Like many children, Brock Patterson wanted to be a firefighter when he was young.

But as a 6-year-old, his dreams of working in a firehouse didn't look quite like this.

On Dec. 4, Fire Chief Paul Dezzi pinned a badge on Patterson and announced him as the newest chaplain for Longboat Key Fire Rescue.

“We have a wellness program we’ve been working with for the last few years, and one of the areas we don’t have is more of the spiritual side of the wellness program,” Dezzi said. “We have the fitness and the physicals and all those types of things, but the side of it that we didn’t have was the spiritual side.”

Patterson, senior pastor of Longboat Island Chapel, said he didn’t accept the voluntary role to preach, judge or convert people, but to be a resource for firefighters and paramedics who deal with traumatic experiences regularly.

“I think one of the greatest helps of chaplains is just being a resource available that allows you to sort of process through some things,” Patterson said. “Sometimes you encounter issues that you really don’t feel like you can share with a superior, or a colleague or even a family member for lots of reasons. And that’s OK because all of us have hit times in life where we kind of can get stuck. To me, that’s something that a chaplain can really help with.”

Patterson said he wants to be known as a confidential and accessible person firefighter paramedics can talk to. He’s just a text away.

Dezzi said Patterson is a good fit as chaplain for many reasons. One is Longboat Island Chapel is non-denominational, which Dezzi said may make Patterson more approachable. Another plus is Patterson’s previous and ongoing involvement in the community.

“Just his demeanor, in my opinion, fit the organization really well,” Dezzi said. “We have some guys that are Catholic, others that are Jewish, and so we didn’t want any one particular church to provide us chaplain services, and so his being non-denominational made us think we should try this.”

His role as chaplain began immediately, and he will soon introduce himself to each of Longboat Key’s firefighter paramedics, stopping by both firehouses during all three shifts.

For now, as he did before and will continue to do, Patterson is praying for Longboat Key’s first responders.

“I’m always praying for firefighters,” he said. “The firefighters, police and emergency personnel, those first responders. That’s what helps me leave the house in the morning. I know that my life is protected because of what they do.”