EMS Chaplaincy continues to serve communities with compassion by providing pastoral care and emergency trauma support to members of the public and emergency services, including SAPS, traffic departments, correctional services and disaster management teams.

The organisation supports victims and their families affected by traumatic incidents such as motor vehicle accidents, suicides and crime-related matters, ensuring a victim-friendly service that protects the dignity of those involved and helps prevent secondary trauma to loved ones.

“Chaplaincy is more about trauma debriefing and defusing than counselling. If further counselling is required, we refer people to the appropriate professionals,” said district commander Ivan Jovner.

Chaplains are often called to incident scenes where they assist with scene management, crowd control, communication with emergency services and liaison between victims’ families and responding agencies.

“In the event of a scene, we assist with scene control, crowd management, contacting relevant emergency services when necessary, and acting as a link between emergency personnel and family members,” said Jovner.

EMS Chaplaincy is a registered non-profit organisation with more than 400 trained volunteers across South Africa.

Of these, 22 volunteers serve the Govan Mbeki Municipality and Standerton area. All volunteers fund their own training, uniforms, operational expenses and annual membership fees.

The organisation welcomes sponsorships and donations to help cover these costs. The chaplaincy has been operating actively for 11 years, approximately four of them in the Secunda/Standerton area, and does not provide salaries or expense reimbursements to its members.

Individuals interested in joining must demonstrate strong Christian values and submit a letter of recommendation from a church or spiritual leader, along with a colour ID photograph and a completed application form.

EMS Chaplaincy responds to a wide range of community and field incidents, including fires, suicides, bullying cases, drownings, shootings, sexual assault cases, addiction support interventions, vehicle, motorcycle and pedestrian accidents, natural and unnatural deaths, as well as hospital visits, funerals and weddings.

Mpumalanga is managed by Shayne van der Heever as regional commander, and the Govan Mbeki area is managed by Ivan Jovner as district commander.

The two chaplains also serve on the chaplaincy’s executive management board. For emergencies, contact the 24/7 call centre on 072 170 1289.

Alternatively, contact chaplain Ivan Jovner on 082 559 8637 or chaplain Shayne van der Heever on 073 099 9929.

For more information, email emscts.dc.secunda@gmail.com or support@emschaplaincy.org