Alabama Fellowship of Fire Chaplains
Est. 2012
EXECUTIVE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Serving Those Who Serve
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Terry Jacobs, President
Terry recently retired (April 2021) as a Battalion Chief with Tuscaloosa Fire Rescue where he also served as Chaplain. He graduated from Auburn University (1981) and began his career as a Wildland Firefighter, soon achieving Registered Forester status. In 1996 he was certified through the Alabama Fire College as a Firefighter/EMT and holds many certifications in Firefighting and Chaplaincy.
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Gary Cosby, Northern Vice President
Gary joined the Rogersville Alabama VFD when he was 21 and became a pastor at 23. He graduated from the University of North Alabama with his BS in History and Sociology, MA in Counseling, and Doctor of Ministry. However, due to a health issue in 1990, he became a bi-vocational pastor and full-time fireman with the City of Muscle Shoals FD. Later, he retired there as the fire marshal and became associate pastor at Grace House in Florence. He and his wife, Susie, have two married sons and a whopping eleven grandchildren, including one in heaven. He has been the chaplain for Florence and Muscle Shoals FD since 2010. He has his CISM Counseling Certification from the AACC and attended many fire training courses offered by his department and the Alabama Fire College.
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Samuel Manning, Central Vice President
Sam earned his AS in Ministry, BS in Theology, and MA in Religion from Bethany Bible College and Theological Seminary in Dothan. He was ordained in 1997 at Ridgecrest Baptist Church in Center Point. While studying for the ministry, Sam served as a prison chaplain at St. Clair Correctional Facility. He later became a Dispatcher for Center Point FD; going beyond his dispatch duties by going on calls with the guys. He was always there with them and for them, and eventually earned the high honor of becoming their fire chaplain. He has earned multiple training certificates through FEMA, Alabama Fire College, ICIS Foundation, FBI, FFC, etc. He was also awarded Public Safety Telecommunicator of the Year Award in 2019, the first dispatcher to ever be given this award. He also serves alongside his wife as a chaplain to Jefferson County 911.
Percy Harris, Southern Vice President
Percy is an ordained minister and has several certifications including Ministerial Certification of License, Emergency Medical Technician, Certificate of Ministry, and Critical Incident Stress Management, as well as an Approved Instructor for FFC and AFFC. He has served as Chaplain with the Mobile Fire Rescue Department’s CISM Team and is currently an Alabama Fire Rescue Department Chaplain with the City of Mobile and a member of the USMC. His chaplain training includes CISM Adv. Training, Taking Care of Our Own (LODD), Best Training Practices for the CISM Instructor, Individual Crisis Intervention and Peer Support Instructor, Adv. Fire Chaplain Certificate, Suicide Prevention, Intervention and Postvention, CISM, Line of Duty Incident Response, etc.
Wanda Manning, Membership Secretary
Wanda earned a double Masters from Bethany Divinity College and Seminary, and has almost completed her PhD in Christian Counseling. She is a commissioned chaplain with the North American Mission Board and serves as a corporate chaplain with Marketplace Chaplains USA. She has also been an on-call volunteer fire chaplain with Center Point Fire Department, Center Point, AL, and is now serving with her husband as chaplain with Jefferson County 911. She has earned multiple fire chaplaincy and disaster relief certificates from the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions, Law Enforcement and Public Safety, and the Alabama Fire College.
David Cohen, Board Chaplain
David is retired from the Mountain Brook Fire Department, where he most recently served as the Fire Marshal. He has his paramedic certification, AS in Fire Science, BS in Allied Health Administration, MA in Human Services Counseling, a graduate of the NFAs Executive Fire Officer Program, and is also currently enrolled for his D.Ed. in Community Care & Counseling – Traumatology. In 1995, after serving 22 years as an Avionics Technician, David retired from the Alabama Air National Guard. He is a certified Mental Health Coach by the AACC, a member of the Board of Directors and Licensed Pastor of FCF Ministries International, and a Board Member, stress coach, peer counselor, and mental health professional for Under The Shield.