The most well written and carefully crafted policies and procedure are useless if they remain unknown and/or if the congregation does not know how to enact them. Sheltering in, lockdown and evacuation drills are now standard practice for most public and private schools in the United States....

Everyone involved in the plan needs to know their roles and responsibilities before, during, and after an incident. Key training components include: At least once a year, hold a meeting to educate all parties on the plan. Go through the plan in order to familiarize these stakeholders with it....

After finalizing the first draft of the plan, the planning team should present the draft to the appropriate leadership and request feedback and/or obtain official approval. Consider other stakeholders in the congregation, such as your worship and religious education committees. They may raise...

In this step congregations determine: Who is responsible for initiating emergency shelter in, evacuation, or lockdown procedures?...

The planning team should consider a number of issues, primarily depending on which kind of planning you’re doing—for natural disasters, or human made ones. Here are some sample questions to get you started.How to evacuate or initiate a shelter in place, paying attention to disability-related...

Think about who in your town, city, or neighborhood could partner with you in case of natural disasters or emergencies. Local police and fire departments can do an appraisal of your building and give you some guidance....

There are many resources to help congregations become safer. While congregations work through becoming safer and more secure, please also be aware that FEMA is now a part of the Department of Homeland Security....

Step 1: Assemble Your Team Your team should include: Staff: Minister and Religious Educator A member of the board A member of the safe congregations team or a congregant with background in emergency management or first response Someone who brings awareness and sensitivity to the particular needs ...

Congregational Emergency Operations Planning Step 1: Assemble your team Step 2: Establish contact with local partners Step 3: Questions Step 4: Determining Roles and Responsibilities Step 5: Approval Step 6: Share Step 7: Train Step 8: Practice Step 9: Congregational Drills Step 10: Review Resour...

Unitarian Universalist congregations have found the following guides helpful in developing safety plans for active shooter and lockdown situations. Please note that several of these resources originate with various branches of the Federal Government....

In the aftermath of a disaster, people turn to their local communities for support. For our congregations, this means that you can choose how you want to be a resource to your local community. Do you have the ability to provide shelter, food, water, and other amenities? What else might your local...

Intentional preparation for disaster requires attention to many details: keeping insurance policies updated (personal and congregational), creating communication plans (personal and congregational, encouraging members to stock emergency supplies at home, keeping the congregation’s building and...

Helping our congregants develop their own emergency plans for home, providing resources and carving out time and space to create their plan is actually the first step in congregational emergency preparedness....

It happens more often than you think it should. The congregation seems to be vital, even growing, but the money in the collection plate doesn’t keep up with the growth, or there seems to be a shortfall every month. There might be grumbling about how the new folks aren’t pulling their weight...

YES N/A ACTION ITEM Are keys to the building marked “Do Not Copy?” Are the keys or security codes given out in limited numbers? Do you keep a record of everyone who has a key or security code to the building? Is a record kept of individuals who have access to safe combinations? Are locks,...

YES N/A ACTION ITEM Do we have a fire prevention plan? Has the local fire inspector gone through the building with us? Does the local fire department have an updated copy of church floor plans? Have evacuation plans been reviewed with our staff and volunteers?...

Our Religious Education programs for children and youth entail a high degree of responsibility for the adults working directly and peripherally with the young people....

YES N/A ACTION ITEM Do you have a comprehensive written policy that outlines how all aspects of your congregation’s finances are to be handled? Do you conduct background checks on all employees and volunteers who deal with money? Do you have written position descriptions for all employees and...

YES N/A ACTION ITEM Are roofs inspected annually? Are repairs performed promptly to prevent building deterioration? Are stained glass windows covered with a shatterproof material to prevent damage? Are walkways kept clear of loose gravel and debris? Are there any tripping hazards on the sidewalk,...