With the threats of terrorism, kidnapping, theft, and even natural disasters on the rise, safety in churches is a growing concern. As such, every church needs to have a safety plan in place. Below is a church safety plan template that you can refer to when making a safety plan for your church.
Before you begin setting up your church safety plan, however, you must form a safety committee. The members of this committee should include:
- Church leadership
- Church security team
- Facility managers
- Medical personnel
- Legal experts
- Church staff and volunteers
- Parents and families
- Ushers and greeters
- Representatives from the IT and technology department
- Mental health professionals
- Church communication team
- Emergency services personnel
The church safety plan template should include the following.
1. Risk Assessment and Planning
- Risk assessment involves going around the church premises and surrounding areas and assessing the potential hazards that may be present in each area.
2, Forming an Emergency Response Team
- Next, the church should form an Emergency Response Team that should consist of volunteers and staff members who have emergency services training.
- After the team is formed, each individual should be assigned a role. These roles include evacuation, first aid, crowd control, and communication.
3. Emergency Communication
- Establish the channels of communication to be used if an emergency arises. Communication should ideally be between the members of the church emergency response team, and between the emergency response team and emergency services. Clear and legible emergency contact information should also be posted at strategic points all over the church, and in all the offices and rooms.
- The church should adopt several methods of communication like 2-way radios, mobile phones, and digital devices so that if one fails, the team can communicate using one of the other methods.
4. Developing an Evacuation Plan
- A good evacuation plan should be clear and detailed, indicating multiple escape routes, exit routes, safe zones, and assembly points.
5. Fire Safety
- The church safety plan should also focus on fire safety, as one small fire can cause havoc in a huge facility. There should be fire extinguishers and smoke detectors all around the premises, and fire drills should be conducted regularly.
6. Medical Emergencies
- Medical emergencies can take place any time during church functions, and as such, it is advisable to have well-stocked first aid kits. In addition, the church staff and volunteers should have basic first aid and CPR training.
- Medical professionals who are members of the church should also be identified and their contact details shared with the emergency response team so that they can be called on in case there is anyone who needs urgent medical attention.
7. General Security Measures
- The church security team should have strict access control measures set in place to monitor entry points and visitors. There should be enough personnel in the church parking lot to keep an eye on the cars and also make sure there is nothing dangerous in any of them.
- Other measures include installing security cameras, monitoring the church website for suspicious activity, and training the congregation on how to keep an eye out for intruders with malicious intent.
8. Child Safety
- Parents like to know that their children are safe in Sunday School. As such, every church safety plan should have a comprehensive child protection policy.
- Some of the things that you can include in this policy are drop-off and pickup protocols, background checks for all staff and volunteers working with the children, and a manned single entry/exit to the Sunday School area.
9. Severe Weather Preparedness
- Every church safety plan template should include procedures for dealing with severe weather events like tornados, hurricanes, and floods. There should be designated safe areas within the church and standard procedures to follow in case a severe weather event occurs.
10. Training and Drills
- All the church staff and volunteers should go through regular training to equip them to handle any emergencies that may arise within the church premises.
- Drills should also be conducted periodically to enhance preparedness and to expose any potential loopholes in the church’s safety plan. In addition, a log of the events that occur during each drill should be kept for future reference.
11. Reporting and Documentation
- Members of the church should be encouraged to report any safety concerns and suspicious activity to members of the Emergency Response Team.
- The Emergency Response Team should also keep a log of incidents, safety drills, and other emergency actions for future reference and to correct any mistakes.
12. Continuity Planning and Review
- Finally, the church must focus on continuity planning to ensure that church operations continue during and after emergencies.
- Also, the church safety plan should be reviewed regularly to make any changes that will make it more effective and also in anticipation of new challenges.
Now that you now have a church safety plan template, go ahead and make your church safe!