Suit Settlement Disbands Chaplains Program

A chaplain program by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDFFP) will be disbanded to settle a lawsuit filed by six firefighters who claimed it violated separation of church and state.

Under the settlement terms reached recently, CDFFP will disband the program, but will allow employees to provide chaplain services voluntarily, the Associated Press (AP) reported. Employees seeking to serve as volunteer chaplains can do so in their free time.

"We are not going to thwart religious discussions, but we're not going to sponsor it either," CDFFP spokeswoman Karen Terrill said. The chaplain corps included 54 employees throughout California who were trained to provide counseling for the agency's firefighters. Fifty of the chaplains are Christian.

Sarcastically calling themselves the Satanic Six, the six firefighters sued earlier this year, claiming chaplains conducted prayers at meetings and events, wore crosses on their uniforms and sent e-mails promoting a Christian viewpoint.

The CDFFP's director, Jay Donnelly, an assistant chief in the forestry department who has written and spoken publicly about the religious vision that inspired him to begin the chaplain program two years ago, is an ordained minister in the Foursquare Church.