Hello to all of you! I enjoyed our time at Hosanna! Church very much. You were a wonderful group! (Except for a few of you, and you know who you are! )

Hello to all of you! I enjoyed our time at Hosanna! Church very much. You were a wonderful group! (Except for a few of you, and you know who you are! )

These slides are the foundational material you might like to have for presentations in your own place of worship.

They are very basic in appearance and fundamental in concept, so you may wish to add to them or change them in some way. I hope you will keep the Five Components together, because I believe those, combined, can make for a tremendously effective safety and security program.

Best wishes to you! Tina Lewis Rowe, Denver CO

Advanced Safety and Security For Places of

Worship

Hosanna! Church

Lead PastorBill

Bohline

I hope you found a crystal or two during the day!

Thanks to……

And especially to…..

My hero,Jim Caauwe

Crime Prevention SpecialistSavage, MN Police Department

Your Personal Safety and Security Check Anywhere

Exits and how far away you are from them.

Barrier, protection or obstacle in an emergency.

Who is sitting in back of you and near you. Move if you don’t feel comfortable.

What is happening near you and in the room.

If a situation looks or sounds like a

serious problem, assume it is--

and respond reasonably and immediately.

Personalize and adapt everything for your place of worship

and what works for your situation.

“Our spiritual homes are special places

that nourish our souls. Indeed,

we take a lot for granted.”

Your Whole Church

All of the:

PeoplePlaces PropertyProgramsProcesses

We have a responsibilityto keep them

safe and secure.

Consider what a whole-church (whole-congregation)

safety and security program can be and do.

Our goals for today:

1.To encourage you to see safety and security as a whole-church concern.

2.To provide ideas, information and inspiration.

3.To let you see and believe that any church---including your church—can be much more safe and secure, easily, inexpensively, and in a way that is engaging to many people.

The goal of a Safety and Security Program:

Making safety andsecurity part of the stewardship of the place of worship, through:

Inspection/Assessment Prevention, Detection,

Protection and Response.

Whole-Church Program Components

1. A Safety and Security Committee.*Security Response Team

*Medical Response Team

*Security Liaisons

Safety and Security Committee

1. Safety and Security Committee(Team, Council, etc.)

*Allows a wide range of participants. *Can be a training tool for leadership.*Increases the chances of keeping a big picture approach, because of the different interests of participants. *Increases the number of people available to do work!

Develop or suggest safety and security policies, procedures,

checklists, assessing schedules.

(Input by security team, pastoral team, staff, attorneys,

insurance company, etc. Produce signs, etc.

Be a resource for information.

www.churchlawandtax.com

Safety and Security Committee

Security Team

1A. Security Team Options for a mix of participants. *Police officers, military, firefighters,

(current or retired). *May be a team of alert, aware adults who

are ready to respond and to get assistance. *Under the guidance of committee or church

leadership regarding activities, apparel, equipment, etc.

*Worship leader focus.

*Patrol during services and special events.

*Lobby presence during services.

*Ready to evaluate situations quickly and either call 911 or handle it on-site.

*Assistance in any kind of emergency.

Planning and Training by Security Team Members

What might happen? What might prevent it? How could we detect it early?What could provide protection and reduce the harm?What will each of us do when it happens?

Greeters and Ushers.They are often the first to observe problems or be aware of a threat.

Look out

Get out

Take out

An option for a violent or physically confrontational person,

with or without a weapon.

Confront, Contain and Control

Congregation and

Pastor

Physical force to overpower; the use of actual or

improvised weapons.

Two approach options for what seems to be non-violent

disturbances and disruptions 1. Shield and Guard 2. Divert and Direct

Shield and Guard Put a barrier between the threat

and the protected person or group.

Congregation and

Pastor

Divert and Direct*Distract and delay. *Guide the disturbance away and outside. *Leave a way out, in the direction of an exit.

Congregation and

Pastor

Security team members should plan general actions each will

take.

*Who will call 911?

*Who will talk to the problem person?

*If it gets physical, who will grab legs, feet, arms, body?

*Who will shield congregation and/or pastor?

Expand the Role of the Security Team

*A leadership role in whole-church efforts: support, encourage and train.

*Training, briefings, consulting for pastors, staff and members. Be an active resource for safety.

*Research situations and use as scenarios for discussion and training.

Briefings: Conferences and camps

Travel--domestic and foreignMission trips

Food pantry staff, money handling, vehicle safety, personal safety.

Before they leave…………..Vehicle safety?Driving requirements and restrictions?Behaviors that are not allowed?Safety tips? Advice?

Weapons? This issue is one that is best decided based on two key factors:

1. Local law.2. Pastoral and membership preferences. (Those preferences are often based on specific issues within the church or community.)

Also to be considered:3. Does the church want to “authorize” some people to carry a weapon but not

others?4. What about problematic situations now or in the future, involving those who are

armed? (Lack of training, physical or mental disabilities, violations of rules, etc.)

If weapons are likely to be carried in the church, a good practice would be to hold periodic training or briefing sessions about requirements or restrictions and suggested training and certifications.

Check with your insurance provider about liability issues. The reality is that many people who have concealed weapons carry them without the knowledge of others. At least attempt to provide written or verbal guidelines for all those who are or who might be carrying a weapon.

Safety and Security Committee

Security Team

Medical Assistance Team

1B. Medical Assistance Team(Or some other title)

*Minor first aid. CPR, AED. *Assistance while waiting for 911 response.*Trained responses if appropriate.*A wide range of other activities can be

developed………..

Other activities and projects.

*Blood drives.*Health Fairs. *Safety talks for children. (Playground,

classroom, etc.)*Health and Fitness.*Newsletter quarterly. *Website articles.

Triumph Lutheran Brethren Church—Moorhead, MN

1C. Safety and Security Liaison

*Be responsible for keys, open-up and lock-down, final look-around.

*Be aware and alert.

*Ensure that safety procedures are followed.

*Be ready to give and get assistance.

*Report concerns and problems in a timely manner. Emergencies or crimes: 911.

Safety and Security Committee

Security Team

Medical Assistance Team

Security Liaisons

Whole-Church Program Components1. A Safety and Security Committee.*Security Response Team

*Medical Response Team

*Security Liaisons

2. Safety and Security Assessments/Inspections.

2. Safety and Security AssessmentsAn inspection to evaluate the current condition as it relates to risks and concerns, and.....Preventing ProtectingDetectingRespondingEmergency PreparednessContinuity of Operations

Inspect and Assess the BIG Picture

You can conduct a thorough and effective

inspection and assessment:

1. Use the guidelines in the Assessing portion of the large download document. 2. Look at each thing being assessed and think: Is anything worrisome? Could it lead to something else?What could go wrong? Could it be detected? Could it be prevented? What protection would help? 3. What needs to be done right now to make this better?

1. Vary days, times and conditions. 2. Inspect throughout the year, at many

events and in all seasons. 3. List obvious and known risks and

concerns, then think some more. 4. In rooms: Above, below, in walls,

outside the doors and windows, in use and not in use.

5. Report on your findings and follow-up. (Take immediate action about hazards.)

Schedule inspection times and vary the focus of each.

Also inspect mechanical, plumbing, appliances,

general maintenance and anything that might

cause a problem when no one is around to detect it.

Congregation Kahilath Jeshurun-Manhattan

Double inspect while any construction or renovation is happening.

A church that is very, very clean is much more likely to be maintained

in other ways as well. Every member should

have a role in this.

Inspect special programs: Senior lunches, food pantry, thrift store, homeless ministry, youth outreach, etc.

Stand back and watch, then talk to those who are active in the programs.

Note: This often creates some conflict, since those involved may have developed some habits that are not optimally safe and secure. Work

with them as much as possible, to help them develop better methods. However, ultimately, it is the responsibility of the place of worship to

ensure that things are done right. Don’t let fear of hurt feelings, cause you to overlook concerns.

Inspect outside areas, secured buildings, vans, trailers, etc.

Lighting, status of parking areas, pedestrian issues, etc.

Money handling procedures, Security of assets,

Professional auditing of financial records

or close, regular review.

Came to a Monday night service and talked with members about his interest in the church.

Hid until after everyone had left, then stole gift cards and cash.

(They could have used an opening and closing checklist.)

Whole-Church Program Components

1. A Safety and Security Committee.*Security Response Team

*Medical Response Team

*Security Liaisons

2. Safety and Security Assessments/Inspections.

3. Procedures, Plans and Checklists (and training).

PreventionDetectionProtectionResponse

What needs to be known and done?

By whom?

How, When and Where?

Checklists are proceduresmade simple to read and follow.

They are not made to be remembered,

they are made to be followed.

(But they help the memory too.)

Checklists are especially useful for mental alarm bells.

.

Have checklists for special services and events:

Lord’s Supper/CommunionBaptisms

Candlelight servicesYouth functions

Children’s functionsBig events

Equipment needed/statusSafety issues and risks and how to

prevent/respondSet-up/Break down

What must be done/can’t be done.

Remember the incident where two year old Brayden King

fell into the baptistry and drowned. The baptistry had been used the Sunday before and was still

full on Friday, when Brayden’s mother was in the building next door and thought her teen-aged daughter was caring for him.

What procedures, protocols, rules and/or checklist items

would have made a difference?

Procedures and checklists for:

Opening/Closing the building (s)Securing equipment/ musical instruments.

Turning on and off electronics and equipment. Lighting furnaces,

using kitchen appliances,

Hygiene and food preparation requirementsuse of supplies, cleaning methods, etc.

Policies, procedures and checklists especially apply to working with youth,

from infants to young adult.

Best practices:

Adults with children? Children in an activity?

Counseling?

Create approved or suggestedprocedures for things staff

are often asked about.

*Benevolence requests*Wedding ceremony requirements.*Children without vaccinations?*Volunteer information, requirements and restrictions.

When writing policies, procedures and checklists, format isn’t as important as usefulness.

Easiest approach: *A combination of text and numbered lists.

Consider including photos or scans. *"Walk through" an activity on paper. *Don’t assume everyone will know the

steps. Be specific. Say the do’s AND the don’ts.

*Have others read it for clarity.

Every teacher, volunteer and coordinator, should help write the procedures for their classroom, program or activities in a variety of settings.

Keep adding as you conduct assessments.

What might happen?

What is your church/pastor’s philosophy, protocol, intention, as it relates to many societal issues?

Have a plan for how you can respond when those things occur.

Whole-Church Program Components1. A Safety and Security Committee.*Security Response Team*Medical Response Team *Security Liaisons2. Safety and Security Assessments/Inspections. 3. Procedures, Plans and Checklists (and

training).4. All of the material in one file/folder/binder.

Safety and SecurityManual

*Hard copy and computer file.

*Contact numbers

*Checklists and lists

The important thing is to start getting everything

together and keep adding to it.

The Plan is really a group of plans, procedures and checklists.

Whole-Church Program Components1. A Safety and Security Committee.*Security Response Team*Medical Response Team *Security Liaisons2. Safety and Security Assessments/Inspections. 3. Procedures, Plans and Checklists (and

training).4. All of the material in one file/folder/binder. 5. Participation: Education, information and

involvement.

1. Be consistent, persistent and insistent about safety and security. Exceptions weaken the safety and security of your church.

2. Be creative: Quizzes, surveys, handouts, combine home and church safety, etc.

3. Make a safety and security concern part of every activity. “What could go wrong?”

Or, “How could this be made more safe?”

1. Balance concern with reason, logic and optimism.

2. Keep a dual focus: Safety and Security.

3. Think basic before high tech or high cost. Start with people solutions.

4. Think and talk of safety and security as something you and everyone can help achieve.

You can have a leadership role:

You can!

Thank You,

Hosanna! Church

and Jim!