By ALLINE KENT
Macon Telegraph (Georgia)
Whenever anything drastic happens - a car wreck, a heart attack, smoke billowing out your attic - firefighters are often the first on the scene ministering to the needs of individuals and sometimes - many times - risking their lives for ours.
But who ministers to them?
In Houston County, and elsewhere in Georgia for that matter, it is the Rev. Sydney Odom.
In 1982, while Odom was serving at pastor of Centerville First Baptist, he was asked by Chief Frank Wadsworth to serve as chaplain for the city’s fire department. Odom’s involvement with Centerville’s fire department led him to being asked to also serve as chaplain for the Houston County Fire Department. He helps with some of the needs of the Warner Robins fire department as well.
Odom’s duties involve being on call for just about any event, from a fire where lives have been lost to a firefighter just going through a rough time. He also visits fire stations where he spends time just talking to the firefighters in an effort to really get to know them. Odom also visits firefighters and their families in the hospital.
Since 1995, the local pastor has also served as chaplain for the Georgia State Firefighters Association.
As chaplain for the state firefighters association, Odom is a member of the board of directors, attending the state meetings and the annual joint conference of firefighters and fire chiefs associations.
Randy Toms, a member of the Warner Robins fire department, serves as chaplain for the fire chiefs association. The two alternate on the responsibilities at the business meetings, including an annual memorial service for firefighters who have passed away in the past year, either active or retired, and for those who have died in the line of duty.
Odom said that every year since he has been serving as chaplain for the state association at least one Georgia firefighter has died in the line of duty.
Although his duties might seem to be mostly associated with sadness, Odom said that his position as chaplain is a very rewarding experience.
“I just enjoy being around people to begin with,” the pastor said. “Not all firefighters are churched, and it is a privileged to give them support. Religion or no religion, I just share the goodness of God with them.”
Odom downplayed his role with the fire departments, instead reiterating the character of anyone that is called a firefighter.
“The nature of their job, the danger of their profession, indicates their dedication and commitment to others,” Odom said. “They pledge to protect the lives and property of citizens. It is a privilege to minister to them.”
Odom said he spent a lot of time just listening to firefighters after 9/11, when 343 firefighters went into the twin towers of New York’s World Trade Center when everyone else was trying to get out.
“Firefighters really felt that loss,” the pastor said. “It was a loss of a comrade. Worldwide, firefighters have a sense of camaraderie. They all share that same kind of giving and sacrificing spirit.”
Larry Sharpless, the current chief of the Centerville Fire Department, includes Rev. Odom in the family of firefighters.
“We are a large family,” Sharpless said. “He is our God connection, a spiritual leader for us. You can’t really describe what all he does for us. He is here for whatever we need. He is a Godsend.”