We have a day for giving thanks. We have two for getting deals.

Now, we have #GivingTuesday, a global day dedicated to giving

back. On Tuesday, December 3, 2019, charities, families,

businesses, community centers, and students around the world will

come together for one common purpose: to celebrate generosity

and to give.

Designed as a day for unselfish giving, the first Tuesday in

December (this year it’s December 3rd), #GivingTuesday gives

people an opportunity to refocus their giving after Black Friday and

Cyber Monday.

Fire Rescue Support is excited to be part of #GivingTuesday 2019.

You can learn more about the work we do among fire rescue

personnel by going to our website (www.firerescuesupport.com).

Then, on December 3rd, you’ll be given the opportunity to financially

give to support this work.

The First Words of Christmas

December 2019

sending His Son? Have you fully allowed Him to enter your world?

What about the angel's promise of a sign? Do you find yourself searching to see evidence of God in your midst? Will you accept and follow Him by faith? Or are you struggling to hear God's voice during a season of silence where you haven’t heard from Him?

The first words of Christmas were for all the people. That included shepherds and wise men. It also includes you and me.

"Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord."

(Continued on page 3)

W hat are the first words that come to your mind

when you think of Christmas? They may be single words such as joy, fun, mistletoe, or stress, debt, tired. They may be words linked together as a phrase such as Happy Holidays or Jesus is the Reason for the Season. Perhaps song titles come to your mind: “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas,” or “The First Noel.”

But before any of these words were spoken there were the words of an angel. For four hundred years, God had not spoken to Israel. Not since the days of the prophets had

any word been heard from God. But the silence was broken one evening in Bethlehem. This angel had been sent with an announcement that split history in two. All that Israel had been waiting for had arrived. These truly were words of great joy!

Can you imagine what this group of shepherds thought when their peaceful evening was interrupted by this heavenly visitor? No wonder the first words the angel spoke were, "Do not be afraid." 2,000 years later, does this angelic announcement rattle you? Is it somewhat startling to know what God has done in

The following

firefighters died in the

line of duty during the

month of October

11/2

Brian Serdynski

Union Grove, WI

11/6

Dwain S. Bradshaw

Pensacola, FL

11/11

John Sing

Boys Town, NE

11/13

Jason Menard

Worcester, MA

51 firefighter have died

in the line of duty

in 2019

P A G E 3

Let these be the first words of Christmas for you this year.

(Continued from page 2)

Living out faith in the fire service can be challenging! Can you be a follower of

Jesus while being a Big Tough Fireman? How do you live out biblical truth in a

Type-A culture?

Each Monday at 9:00am, firefighters from Marion County Fire Rescue and Ocala

Fire Rescue meet to discuss these questions and more. We meet at the Dunkin’

at 5457 SE Maricamp Road (just west of Baseline).

There’s room at the table for you! Click here to view your invitation.

P A G E 3

CISM Training Assisting Individuals in Crisis AND

Group Crisis Intervention

For more information and to register visit

www.firerescuesupport.com

Want to host CISM training at your agency?

Contact Joe at 352-425-1643 or

joe@firerescuesupport.com

There is a lot of conversation these days about PTSD in the fire service. And that’s a good thing! For years, PTSD was only discussed as an issue for our military. More recently, however, we have become aware that police officers and firefighters are also susceptible to challenges resulting from unresolved stress.

Click here to see a video from Miami-Dade Fire Rescue that gives a great overview on PTSD.

Each month we’ll discuss a

topic related to crisis

intervention. We hope this

will serve as a refresher for

those who have been

trained, as well as

something to create interest

for those who have not.

Oxnard, CA - Jan 10-11, 2020

Ocala, FL - March 24-26, 2020

PTSD

Amazon Donates to Charity P A G E 4

For eligible purchases at Amazon Smile, the Amazon Smile

Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price to the

customer’s selected charitable organization. You can make Fire

Rescue Support your organization by clicking here. Then every

time you order through the Amazon Smile website you’ll be

helping Fire Rescue Support continue its mission of supporting

fire rescue personnel before, during and after the call.

Thank You! Thanks for your partnership with Fire Rescue

Support. Because of you, we have the opportunity

to support fire rescue personnel before, during and

after the call. Visit www.firerescuesupport.com for

more information or to donate. You can also find

us on Facebook and Instagram. And please don’t

hesitate to contact me if I can be of assistance

personally or professionally. You can reach me at

Connect with Fire Rescue Support

12647 SE 102nd Avenue

Belleview, FL 34420

352-425-1643

info@firerescuesupport.com

www.firerescuesupport.com

E very day the men and women who serve

as fire rescue personnel put their lives on

the line for their communities. The work

they do is full of unique challenges like

dealing with extreme physical conditions and

coping first hand with human tragedy. Often

these challenges take a toll on their well-being

and put incredible strain on their relationships.

In addition, the people that fire rescue

personnel serve are many times experiencing

the worst day of their lives. As they struggle

through their personal tragedies, they are faced

with the task of rebuilding their lives and going

forward.

I magine an organization committed to one

task – supporting fire rescue personnel.

From their work in the field to their lives at

home, picture an organization working to

equip these first responders to be more

successful on the job and in life. Envision an

organization that extends the support of those

serving in fire rescue by offering care and

comfort to the people they serve. Finally,

picture an organization that would impact

emergency services workers all across the

country. That organization is Fire Rescue

Support – supporting fire rescue personnel

before, during and after the call.

P A G E 5