Father Ronald Perkins has been a public safety chaplain since 2009 and has completed numerous educational programs via the Federation of Fire Chaplains and the International Conference of Police Chaplains. Fr. Ron was awarded the 2021 Chaplain of the Year by the Federation of Fire Chaplains. He has extensive experience and education in workplace chaplaincy, Critical Incident Stress Management, and crisis negotiation.
Fr. Ron has served as a chaplain at Fort Lauderdale Police Department since 2009 and Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue since 2012 as well as Coral Springs Parkland Fire Department since January 2017 and Tamarac Fire Rescue since 2021. Fr. Ron also serves on the Broward County CISM Team, as well as area Health & Safety Committees within the departments he supports.
Fr. Ron was ordained an Orthodox Catholic Deacon in 2009 and to the priesthood in 2011. In 2016, Fr. Perkins formed a non-profit organization, Public Safety Chaplaincy, Inc. to provide consulting and management services to public safety departments.
While in High School and throughout nursing school Fr. Ron worked as an EMT-A on ambulances and in Emergency Departments. After graduating from Marcy State Hospital School of Nursing in 1972, he served as a US Navy Nurse Corps Officer specializing in pre-hospital and hospital-based emergency medical services.
Following his military service, Fr. Ron held positions in nursing and hospital administration where he was responsible for trauma and emergency services in hospitals of up to 500 beds in Kentucky, Texas and Louisiana.
Fr. Ron resides with his wife, Karen Unger, in Fort Lauderdale and is the proud grandfather of two.