From the HUH? files: My church needs an active shooter plan....

[John_Wayne777]

So yesterday I am in my pastor's office and he hands me a letter from the insurance company. I start reading and to my surprise I discover that the insurance company wants us to develop an active shooter response plan for the church and file it with them.

:confused:

Now I know that there have been several active shooter incidents in churches because scumbags think they are easy prey. I have also experienced firsthand how willing bad guys are to do things like commit armed robbery in churches....but filing an active shooter response plan? That seems a bit over the top.

And, of course, the letter was full of helpful suggestions like establishing "lockdown" areas of the building...which is a real feat in a building that wasn't designed to repel invaders.

I've been asked to participate in crafting a response to this request.

Obviously I can't submit in writing what the actual response to an active shooter in the church is going to be.....

But for the sake of fulfilling the requirement I am thinking of writing up a plan that basically outlines the unsuitability of any area of our facility as a "lockdown" area and outline a plan for "orderly and immediate evacuation".

Any thoughts or suggestions any of you gentlemen have would be MUCH appreciated.

[C4IGrant]

Wow that is really interesting.

My plan would be to have several people armed in the church. ;)



C4

[Wayne Dobbs]

I know that many of the larger churches in the DFW area are now using EP type armed security teams for their services and facilities. This is an outgrowth of an active shooter in a Fort Worth church several years ago and some well founded beliefs that an Islamic inspired attack would target them also.

There are likely lots of resources out there specifically for churches. You might look over at Tactical Forums on the EP section to see if you could get some help on this.

FWIW, I have ALWAYS carried at church and always will. The grasseaters can then continue to graze.....

[John_Wayne777]

My plan would be to have several people armed in the church. ;)


I can neither confirm nor deny that the unofficial plan is to have a certain member of the church who may or may not be regularly armed and may or may not have acquired significant amounts of weapons training from competent professionals present during services and who may or may not posses the willingness to use the weapon he/she may or may not be carrying to stop an attempted mass killing.....

[DrMark]

Wow that is really interesting.

My plan would be to have several people armed in the church. ;)
That should absolutely be part of the (official or unofficial) plan.

Our church previous pastor (now retired) typically carried a .357. :)

[John_Wayne777]

That should absolutely be part of the (official or unofficial) plan.


I can neither confirm nor deny that a particular individual when consulted about the plan for an active shooter suggested the following bulleted list: "Step 1: Kill the bastard. Step 2: Call the police. Step 3: Have carpets cleaned."

[Hawkeye]

I can neither confirm nor deny that the unofficial plan is to have a certain member of the church who may or may not be regularly armed and may or may not have acquired significant amounts of weapons training from competent professionals present during services and who may or may not posses the willingness to use the weapon he/she may or may not be carrying to stop an attempted mass killing.....

Um.... Not quite sure what your referring to. I attend church locally. It would be a bit of a drive for me to go all the way up there.

[Voodoochild]

I can neither confirm nor deny that a particular individual when consulted about the plan for an active shooter suggested the following bulleted list: "Step 1: Kill the bastard. Step 2: Call the police. Step 3: Have carpets cleaned."

You need to change the steps Step 2: Call the Wolf and have him straighten things out before the police are called. Sorry I watched Pulp Fiction last night..

[Nathan_Bell]

I know it seems pushy from the insurance company, but many churches are playing ostrich about any type of threat. Natural or man made.

I did design work for a commercial contruction company. I was the go to guy for churches and huge long drawn out industrial projects. I cannot count the times that when I would discuss EP and bottlenecks for exits that the board members' eyes would show that they were just going through the motions of working on these plans. They really did not believe they would ever need them, so they did not think that they needed a plan for them beyond "Head for the door in a calm and orderly fashion.":rolleyes:

We were discussing fires or power outages in these meetings, things that happen a heck of a lot more than an Active Shooter, but they would not really engage themselves in the planning for handling them. You think that they would have a plan for an AS?

The insurance company realized that if there is an AS situation and there is a plan on file that there will be less civil liabilty for the church and the insurance company. Sorry for the rant, but too many church boards are in lalaland when it comes to threats.

[UVvis]

My wife and I are looking for a new church to attend. I wonder if this should be something I ask the pastor...

"Good sermon, my wife and I are thinking about attending your church regularly, can I see you active shooter plan?"

[Snake RAH]

Any place where one or more people congregate should have an active shooter plan.

Just like a fire plan, bad weather plan, etc.

[Jay Cunningham]

How about:

"Kill 'em all, let God sort 'em out!"

:cool:

[One Shot]

Most local schools now have active shooter plans in place. You could contact one of the local schools, ask to see their plans (if they let you) and then use those plans as a guide for your church. You might also contact your local state police, local city police or sheriff's police to see if they would send a representative to help draft an active shooter plan too. Don't forget to search out the information on the internet too.

[macman37]

How about:

"Kill 'em all, let God sort 'em out!"

:cool:

Heh, truly applicable in this instance!

[John_Wayne777]

I know it seems pushy from the insurance company, but many churches are playing ostrich about any type of threat. Natural or man made.


True.

Most people in churches are sheep. (Most people ANYWHERE are sheep, but especially so in churches.)

...which leads to the part of the :confused: factor for requiring a "plan"....Nobody is going to follow it.

If some o2 thief walks in the door, pulls a handgun, and starts blasting, nobody is going to be consulting the evacuation plan. They are going to be either trying to figure out what is going on, screaming, hollering, hitting the floor, running...etcetera. It will be pandemonium.

The building is one of those typical older church buildings that has been added on to several times creating a floor plan from hell. (Pardon the pun)

Right now the best idea I have is to mock up the floorplan of the church and highlight the "Emergency Evacuation Routes" and exits, along with detailing some sort of "procedure" which will mainly involve getting everyone to head to the nearest unobstructed exit and dialing 911.

Of course I can't include in the plan the idea of armed parishioners providing security because I have a feeling the mere mention of it would cause the insurance people to soak their bloomers.

[John_Wayne777]

Most local schools now have active shooter plans in place. You could contact one of the local schools, ask to see their plans (if they let you)


Merely asking would probably freak the school folks right out, and knowing some of the local school administration's behavior would most likely result in my having a nice chat with the Sherriff's office.



You might also contact your local state police, local city police or sheriff's police to see if they would send a representative to help draft an active shooter plan too.


This has real potential. I hadn't thought of calling my buddy on the local SWAT team and having him consult on the plan. One of the members also has a son-in-law on the local SWAT team.....

I think I will give that route a shot.

Getting a SWAT trained officer in on the planning would probably make the insurance people pretty happy.

[yasnevo]

Interesting! I would love to see the part of the insurance policy that covers this...

Heck yeah though... I think that every church should have a plan in place, together with more than one armed sheepdog in there keeping an eye on the flock...

Good stuff.

y-

[Matt in AZ]

So yesterday I am in my pastor's office and he hands me a letter from the insurance company. I start reading and to my surprise I discover that the insurance company wants us to develop an active shooter response plan for the church and file it with them.

:confused:



>>>>>>>>>>>>

From the AP News Wire, and Drudge...

NEOSHO, Mo. (AP) - A gunman opened fire in the sanctuary of a southwest Missouri church Sunday, killing three people and wounding several others, a city spokeswoman said.

About 25 to 50 people were briefly held hostage at the First Congregational Church until the gunman surrendered, Neosho spokeswoman Desiree Bridges said.

Fewer than 10 people were also shot and wounded, Bridges said.

The shooter was being held at the Newton County Jail, but police were not releasing any information about him.

Bridges said he was related to someone in the church, but declined to elaborate.

Bridges said the shooter had three firearms, but wouldn't say what type. The shooting followed the 1 p.m. service.

>>>>>>>>>>>>

-- Matt

[John_Wayne777]

That's exactly the sort of incident that the insurance company is worried about...but there's nothing in an active shooter plan I can come up with that will make much difference, save for the "shoot the bastard" route.

[Matt in AZ]

That's exactly the sort of incident that the insurance company is worried about...but there's nothing in an active shooter plan I can come up with that will make much difference, save for the "shoot the bastard" route.

I thought of your post when I read this account, and it is why I wanted to post this AP story in this thread. My family attends a large non-denominational church which hosts numerous LEO types. The threat plan exists, but I am not read into it.

[John_Wayne777]

I thought of your post when I read this account, and it is why I wanted to post this AP story in this thread. My family attends a large non-denominational church which hosts numerous LEO types. The threat plan exists, but I am not read into it.

It's good that you have several LEOs at your church. From my experience that cuts down on all SORTS of nonsense that should never take place in a house of worship...

[rhino]

That's exactly the sort of incident that the insurance company is worried about...but there's nothing in an active shooter plan I can come up with that will make much difference, save for the "shoot the bastard" route.

Isn't it likely that your insurance company (or almost any other) specifically doesn't want people mounting any kind of armed resistance? They seem to be concerned solely with minimizing their liability across the board (which maximizes profits, of course), and not at all with anyone's genuine safety.

[davemcdonald]

There is a new children's pastor over in Wayne Dobb's neighborhood that is a former active duty Navy SEAL and currently a Reservist. That is one approach.

Dave

[Submariner]

Isn't it likely that your insurance company (or almost any other) specifically doesn't want people mounting any kind of armed resistance? They seem to be concerned solely with minimizing their liability across the board (which maximizes profits, of course), and not at all with anyone's genuine safety.

No plan? Inadequate plan? Negligently prepared plan? Maybe no (or reduced) protection from the insurance company. OP, you might suggest your elders/trustees/deacons have an attorney review the policy to find out implications/issues of their request. And exactly why the company wants the plan filed.;) Ask the company, in writing, for an example of what they consider to be an adequate plan.

[CM-4]

Man it is funny that you brought this topic up. My dad was telling me the other day that our pastor called him and asked him to come over. My dad said that the pastor showed him a letter that he got from the National Association of Churches. The letter stated that churches need to have a plan in place to deal with a AS or terrorist attack. The letter further stated that churches need to have several people in the congregation go through firearms training and conceal carry during church fuunctions. Our pastor is all for having people in the church CC. We also have a lot of LEO's in our church as well as other "gun nuts". One individual in our congregation is a class III dealer and class II manufacturer, so on any given Sunday there is no shortage of firepower. In fact last Sunday, I was talking to a friend in church and he said hey I finally got my paper work back and I'm going shooting after church. We went out to his car and there in a locked case was a nice looking Bridgeport Thompson with 6 mags and about 300 rounds of ammo.:D :D

[John_Wayne777]

The letter further stated that churches need to have several people in the congregation go through firearms training and conceal carry during church fuunctions.

That surprises the heck out of me.

[Wayne Dobbs]

There is a new children's pastor over in Wayne Dobb's neighborhood that is a former active duty Navy SEAL and currently a Reservist. That is one approach.

Dave

Dave,

PM me with the details on this one if you would, please.

WD

[sproc]

letter that he got from the National Association of Churches

Who? I'm not finding an organization with that name.

[rhino]

. . . a letter that he got from the National Association of Churches. The letter stated that churches need to have a plan in place to deal with a AS or terrorist attack. The letter further stated that churches need to have several people in the congregation go through firearms training and conceal carry during church fuunctions.

Is there a chance you could get a copy of the letter and make it available to us?

[CM-4]

Is there a chance you could get a copy of the letter and make it available to us?


Sure, I think I can do that. I may have the name of the organization wrong because my dad was telling me about it. He saw the letter I didn't see it first hand. Since both my brother and I are LEO, the pastor was asking my dad what he thought about the letter and wanted our input. I am all for it, I carry every Sunday anyway. Dad seemed to think judging by the way the letter sounded that maybe the organization was more concerned with a terrorist attack rather than AS which really makes sense to me, although both can happen.

[Low Drag]

Wow that is really interesting.

My plan would be to have several people armed in the church. ;)



C4

Ditto!

Also inform the insurance company that all church picnics take place at the local gun club and pastor evaluates the speed/accuracy of all those attending the church.:p

[Alpha Sierra]

Isn't it likely that your insurance company (or almost any other) specifically doesn't want people mounting any kind of armed resistance? They seem to be concerned solely with minimizing their liability across the board (which maximizes profits, of course), and not at all with anyone's genuine safety.

It isn't likely, it is certain.

Insurance companies care not one bit about the safety of their policy holders. All they care about is cutting their losses.

[Alpha Sierra]

Dad seemed to think judging by the way the letter sounded that maybe the organization was more concerned with a terrorist attack rather than AS which really makes sense to me, although both can happen.
The end result of both would be about the same, I think. So it makes sense that the plan for both be the same or at least very similar.

[Alpha Sierra]

That's exactly the sort of incident that the insurance company is worried about...but there's nothing in an active shooter plan I can come up with that will make much difference, save for the "shoot the bastard" route.

So maybe the answer is to draft a plan that meets the insurer's approval to file with them and draft the real plan that will actually neutralize the AS while minimizing losses to your side to file with your pastor.

[rhino]

Sure, I think I can do that. I may have the name of the organization wrong because my dad was telling me about it. He saw the letter I didn't see it first hand.

Excellent! Keep us posted!

[jackinfl]

John Wayne,
I would contact your local PD and ask them if they could do a presentation for the CHurch elders/deacons as to what their response to an active shooter would be in your facility. Then i would present them witht he oppurtunity to train an active shooter scenario in your Church with members of the congregation as role players. Once to this point you will know the Leader or thinker in the agency and then be able to put a plan together in cooperation with the PD.

Of course they, LE, need to know the potential of encountering armed civilians in the mix and chaos of the actual call.

I know we do it for the school board here and it is amazing how many principals volunteer their school for training. It makes sense, if you run the entire agency through the facility for training with a tour of the facility it leads me to believe that an actual response will be smoother.

Another idea is to ask for a security survey by your agncies Crime Prevention officer.

Best of luck

[Chickenlittle]

Let me begin by saying that I pastor a church in Philadelphia PA and have had 3 murders in the last 4 weeks within blocks of our church. I also serve as a LE Chaplain with local and federal LEA's, with cumulative experience over 33 years.
I am very surprised by such a letter from an insurance company. There are far more risks of liability from shooting - even defensively- than giving thieves what they want and putting in a claim for the loss. Furthermore, the idea of teaching our people to duck for cover or pull out their handguns in such a situation would have a very negative impact on church attendance in general. The fear of violence even outside the church has already put a crimp in evening service attendance in many places.
That said, I have carried a 40 cal. in church for last 11 years. It's just that nobody has ever seen it and 98% of the people don't know it's there. I also have at least three other members in regular attendance who carry to church as well. Their being armed is likewise unknown to the people, except to me and to each other.
Our best plan is to do nothing, unless someone is hurt by the intruders. In that scenario it falls to me to instruct the people to hit the floor and stay down while we make the best of an ugly situation and cell phones call 911. My apologies for the lengthy response.

[jackinfl]

Pastor,
With all due respect and appreciation for your service to LE and to God. You need to understand that an Active shooter is not there to get money and leave. He or they are there to kill as many people as possible and to be the next biggest thing to grab headlines. Please do not forget the amish girls in the school right down the road from you, or the guy in Bailey Colorado with those girls. These threats are not robbers or petty thieves they are there with a plan to get the media attention their confused lives could not give them.
If you can, please try to attend a one day seminar by the author of Terror at Beslan, John Giduck. It is extremely eye opening!
Sir, again I am not trying to be disrespectful.
Stay safe.
Jack

[Colt6920]

I can neither confirm nor deny that a particular individual when consulted about the plan for an active shooter suggested the following bulleted list: "Step 1: Kill the bastard. Step 2: Call the police. Step 3: Have carpets cleaned."

You mean nobody suggested the old standby: Kill 'em all let God sort it out":D

[HolyRoller]

My nondenominational megachurch is in the Fayetteville NC area, a ten-minute drive from Fort Bragg ("Click On Warrior To Enter"), home of the XVIII Airborne Corps, 82d Airborne Division, US Army Special Operations Command, 3rd and 7th Special Forces Groups (Airborne), all kinds of aviation and artillery and intel and psyops troops, and maybe even a certain Unit that nobody is supposed to talk about. Our church probably has more SF personnel, Q Course candidates and Team guys and Group Support, than any other church in the world. One of my good friends is going through SF medic training and passing everything the first time, after having been a Force Recon Marine for ten years and Scout/Sniper School graduate and running a hundred or so direct action ops in Iraqistan--guess all that was not exciting enough for him.:D

Such men do not suffer fools gladly, and maybe aspiring active shooters know this, so we do not have a lot of trouble. But we do not have a lot of law enforcement types that I know of. When the singles group goes out on the town, I kind of look around and think, I'm probably the only one here armed. I might or might not be the only one armed in regular services, where we have over a thousand people. I don't advertise the fact and am not part of any active response team--I just hide a 1911 or M9 and a Smith 637, plus cuffs and OC spray, and to my knowledge I've never been made. If I have been, it was by somebody who was sympathetic enough not to say anything. Of course, I would be more satisfied if somebody approached me about being part of a plan, and our leadership is not the shrinking-violet type, but who knows what kind of cockamamie letters they've gotten from the insurance company. So I figure forgiveness is easier to obtain than permission, and carry on a DADT basis.

We need to work on the mentality of the non-warriors. My girlfriend is a wonderful kind sweet lady, and cares deeply about the helpless. She said she has seen a few suspicious potential child molesters lurking around and is afraid one or more of them will try to hurt or kill the kids. "I'll die for them, take a bullet for them!" I said, my dear, we do not win wars by dying for our side, we win by making THEM die for THEIR side. She happened to go with me when I was on an emergency AK shopping mission before the LAV AK class, and I let her hold the Yugo underfolder I ended up buying to see if it was too heavy. She did figure out which part was the grip, and with a little prompting put her support hand under the handguard correctly--and then laid the stock struts on her shoulder like it was an RPG. "Is this good?" Well, it's close! We need people around to ask questions like this and keep us on our toes, but we also have to find a way to adjust their thinking. I haven't found it yet with her.

[Chickenlittle]

Pastor,
With all due respect and appreciation for your service to LE and to God. You need to understand that an Active shooter is not there to get money and leave. He or they are there to kill as many people as possible and to be the next biggest thing to grab headlines. Please do not forget the amish girls in the school right down the road from you, or the guy in Bailey Colorado with those girls. These threats are not robbers or petty thieves they are there with a plan to get the media attention their confused lives could not give them.
If you can, please try to attend a one day seminar by the author of Terror at Beslan, John Giduck. It is extremely eye opening!
Sir, again I am not trying to be disrespectful.
Stay safe.
Jack

Jack, My sincere thanks for your kind and gracious response. I have not forgotten all the evil that has recently transpired around us here and the senseless murders that continue to plague our city. My LE experience has erased any foolish presumptions about the good of man. I am trying to be a good shepherd to my people by being aware and prepared, yet at the same time not overly alarming to my people. Push comes to shove, I will defend them and regularly train/practice to be ready for such an situation. At the same time, I pray that such extreme action will not be necessary and we do what we can to prevent it, including posting ushers to watch the only doors open to the church during services - especially after dark. Once or twice we have had to lock the doors when there is police activity outside.
My concern, as expressed before, is that you can drive the people away with the fear and our task is to make our buildings and surroundings as safe as possible so that they focus on worship rather than what's going on outside. A church should be a safe haven where people can escape the fears of the world outside.
The Lord has delivered us from the worst scenarios and I am thankful for divine protection, but I continue to carry concealed and appreciate those members of my church that understand the times in which we live and carry their own to church.
Thanks for the dialog here on this forum. I am new to m4C since I recently added an m4 carbine to my collection and am trying to overcome a steep learning curve about it.
May the Lord watch and keep you all.

[Buckaroo]

Is there a chance you could get a copy of the letter and make it available to us? Yes, That would be great and could you be sure the state of GA gets a copy too! I like to go to church with my mom when I visit her but GA does not allow CCW in churches.

[rhino]

Yes, That would be great and could you be sure the state of GA gets a copy too! I like to go to church with my mom when I visit her but GA does not allow CCW in churches.


I suspect that in most states where it's "illegal" to carry in churches that some socialist-statist church organizations and individuals lobbied the lawmakers to make it that way.

I'd be curious to see if ANY of those laws would actually stand up in court if challenged vigorously. It's absurd that the state could have the gall to tell you what you can or can't have in your possession when you're in church just from a common sense point of view. Given the current hysteria for "separation of church and state," it seems illogical that the state could intrude in that way, since monuments with the Ten Commandments are being removed from courthouse lawns across the country on a weekly basis.

I can see how they might be able to justify making their carry licenses invalid in churches, but that's a far cry from making it a crime with respect to the state to carry in a church (in the absence of church rules and trespass issues, of course).

[Alpha Sierra]

Ohio law allows CCW in church with the permission of the head of the church.

[dhrith]

^ Ditto Michigan

[Chickenlittle]

My research and contacts with Keystone Christian Education Association here in PA have produced the following lengthy information about some insurance companies asking churches to formulate plans regarding armed intruders. It relates to both Churches and Christian schools:

Keystone Christian Education Association
6101 Bell Road Harrisburg, PA 17111
Phone (717) 564-1164 Fax (717) 564-1163
E-mail TClater@KCEA.com Web www.KCEA.com

SPECIAL REPORT
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

THE SITUATION. In the America in which most of us have grown up, the closest thing to an “emergency” that has occurred in our church or school is when (a) someone forgot to turn on the water heater servicing the baptismal tank or when (b) an assigned referee did not show up in time to ref the ballgame.

We have all observed the news as life-and-death emergencies have impacted local churches and schools in foreign lands or in the USA. These emergencies could be induced by nature (like floods, storms), by accident (like bus accidents, cargo spills nearby), by acts of violence (like a kidnapping, violent intruder, a terrorist or group of terrorists, or as part of a “war”). We also are facing a growing number of “non-violent” acts (like vandalism, thefts, arson).

With the passing of time, the KCEA Staff has cautioned ministries that they must rethink their historic patterns. For example, it is totally unacceptable to just presume that the insurance company can cover physical losses.

With the passing of time, the KCEA Staff has observed that many ministries have initiated a variety of measures: locking church doors when the building is empty, locking many doors during church services, installing security systems, installing buzzers and closed-circuit TV at a visitor entrance, patrolling parking lots during services, etc.

Despite the international and domestic events such as have been shown in the media, however, we observe that our churches and schools have continued to lag behind what could and should be done. Despite the existence of society-wide standards for institutional preparedness, few ministries appear to be taking a comprehensive look at their responsibility. It should not take a hurricane Katrina-like storm or an intruding gunman at one’s building to get our attention to realize that “something could happen here.”


WHY WE HAVE NOT BEEN INVOLVED. We believe there are two reasons. First, “nothing will happen here.” We again remind all churches and schools that an “it-won’t-happen-here” mentality is not wise.

Second, we are very conscious that leaders in our KCEA-affiliated churches and schools tend to be very “take-charge, in-charge” individuals. Many of us do not engage in serious, written planning for we can easily make decisions on the spot, and regularly do
so. That is good, and that assists in time of emergency even when a “plan” has not been developed and implemented. However, what would happen if the emergency occurred when we were not present, whether away at a meeting, at the hospital making a visit, or home due to a short illness? What would happen if the few key “in-charge” leaders of your church/school were in the hands of an intruder or responding to the presence of an intruder or responding to another emergency? What would the other adults and children know to do in the absence of the key leadership?

ASSISTANCE IS AVAILABLE. Pennsylvania has an official agency to help the citizenry plan for, and then handle, catastrophic emergencies of all types. It is called the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA). Every county has a county emergency planning office.

We encourage all ministries to visit the website for the state-level agency where they can find information pertaining to developing an emergency plan. Also, utilize the contact information for your county office. Here is the address pertaining specifically to schools:
www.pema.state.pa.us/pema/cwp/browse.asp?a=586&C=45242&pemaNav=|#School.

While there is no civil law that mandates for a church to develop a plan for handling emergencies, there is civil law that applies to schools and day/child care. Civil law does not tell every school the details of what should be in their “plan,” but they supply expertise to the leaders to develop their own unique plan. Their services should be utilized, both by churches and schools.

As to the purpose of PEMA materials, here is one sample:

School Emergency Operations Plan

Foreword
This Emergency Operations Plan is part of a systematic planning effort on the part of the (name of school or district) to provide for the care and the well-being of the students, faculty and staff. This plan is meant to address extraordinary circumstances wherein the lives and property of individuals are in imminent danger. The procedures outlined in this plan constitute those temporary measures that will be taken to maximize the protection available for threatened individuals as well as preparatory measures that should be accomplished during non-emergency time. The plan does not create elaborate new structures, but relies on the organization, skills and procedures that are followed on a day-to-day basis.
Much of the information that is needed to implement a plan like this one should be treated as sensitive. The exact locations of shelters and rallying points, the routes to be taken during an evacuation, the location of a command post to centralize information and decision-making and the means of communication may be useful information to potential terrorists or other criminals. Additionally, items of personal information about key personnel or persons with special needs must be available. For this reason, only part of the plan is subject to public scrutiny.
The plan itself is organized into two distinct parts; the “Basic Plan” and a series of checklists and resource listings. The basic plan provides overall concepts and assignment of responsibility. It does not contain great amounts of detail. The detail in the annexes and checklists makes them sensitive and not considered to be public documents. The information in the checklists is arranged by function, recognizing that the evacuation planned for a HAZMAT spill will work just as well for a winter storm (and probably gets practiced several times each year.)
This plan is required by the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Services Code, which states that "every school district, in cooperation with the local Emergency Management Agency shall develop and implement emergency preparedness plans." (Case law has shown that non-public schools are also subject to these requirements. Modify the wording here to accommodate your own circumstances if necessary.) The plan is applicable to all staff, students as well as outside contractors and other guests in the school at the time of an emergency. Maintenance and implementation of the plan is the responsibility of those officials elected to the school board, and its appointed agents.

PRACTICE, PRACTICE. Finally, upon developing a plan, it is urgent that the plan be rehearsed on a regular basis so that its components are firmly in the minds of all leaders in the building at the periodic times the building is open (and so children and parents are accustomed to the procedures). Consider, for example, the panic that could occur if unprepared nursery/toddler/children’s workers, and unprepared parents, face a real, significant emergency during a church service time.

Be assured, also, that there are a variety of things to be practiced. Here are just a couple groupings:

Evacuations. Evacuations can be appropriate for more reasons than fire, and it is good to have thought through the variety of prospective events. It is well established that every day/child care facility should have a “fire drill” (emergency evacuation) every 60 days. Every school should have a “fire drill” (emergency evacuation) once a month during the school year. Every church should publicly talk of emergency procedures with congregants on a periodic basis, and churches should have emergency evacuation practice no less than two times a year (yes, during normal Sunday School, worship services, and similar). Those operating busses should also be practicing emergency evacuation procedures no less than twice a year.

Safety within the Building. There are emergencies where one would not want everyone exiting the building. It is proper to practice procedures. This could relate to severe weather or a human threat at the perimeter.

Intruders. There can be a variety of dangers from intruders and a variety of locations for intruder emergencies: playground, remote classrooms, main auditorium,…. Each type and location of potential danger should be thought through and practiced.

It does not do any good to have a written, well-designed plan if that plan is covered with an inch of dust, buried on some shelf in someone’s office! It should be practiced, or it will not be effective when a true emergency occurs.

TEC 10/06
Research, writing, and distribution of KCEA Special Reports, like all other services and programs of the Association, are made possible through the Dues paid by Affiliating Schools
*********************************************
Brotherhood Mutual Ins. Co. addressed the topic this past summer. See
http://www.brotherhoodmutual.com/resources/articles/79-TraumaticEvents.htm

[Mr Johnson]

I've been reading the responces and everyone has the right basic idea, we have to neturalize the VCA while simultaneously protecting the attendees and staff.

The difficult part is doing this in a church enviornment without giving the impression of being an armed fortress.

I'm Director of Security of a church with 6M-7M members and have been trying to develop a workable solution for the last three years.

A good source is Gatekeepers Alliance, 972-342-5682