Times aren’t what they used to be.
A few weeks ago, a notice went out to a church group in the U.S. citing reports of threats directed against “liberal” churches. There was no mention of any additional specifics about the threats nor the source of the information. The timing of the threats was centered around the U.S. Presidential Inauguration. I applaud the church organization for disseminating the information for it served as a reminder that all houses of worship need to be on alert for potential threats or disruptions and be prepared to respond to those threats with an emergency action plan. It’s unfortunate that any house of worship (church, mosque, synagogue or spiritual center) has to take this proactive stance, but then again, we never thought the Capital of the United States would be attacked by its own citizens.
In the late 90’s, when I last worked overseas for the U.S. Government, I would advise the U.S. Embassy affiliated school on security matters. I will never forget these times. The Superintendent of the school would call me whenever the school received a telephonic bomb threat. I would listen to the details but inevitably say no one blows up or attacks schools, so conduct a cursory check of the grounds and continue business as usual. Columbine and Beslan forever eliminated the belief that schools were a safe place.
Likewise, houses of worship used to be considered sacred ground. Doors could be left open for those in need of warmth or just a word with their God. There was no worry about theft, assaults or any other crime. Little attention was required for locks, alarms or guards. And then that changed. The when and why are hard to pin down, but society has changed and some people feel they are free to threaten or attack places of worship.
What can houses of worship do about this?
Recognizing this new environment, houses of worship are encouraged to take a proactive stance to protect their people and property. By developing an Emergency Planning Management (EPM) program they can systematically address how to prepare for and respond to any threat, hazard or other disruptive event. This is also known as emergency action plans and emergency operations plans.
A key component in the successful implementation and deployment of an Emergency Planning Management program is having a safety team. This team can be called a Church Response Team, a Center Response Team, a Mosque Response Team or any variation there of as long as it operates as a team, not leaving any one person with the responsibility to prepare for and respond to threats.
The seven elements of Emergency Planning Management are: Assessing (identifying your assets; identifying your potential threats and hazards; and identifying your vulnerabilities); Mitigating (your vulnerabilities); Preparing (identifying and training for how to respond to your threats); Responding (to your threats and hazards as planned); Recovering (business continuity); Communicating (before, during and after an event or incident); and Alerting(situational awareness and decision support).
With a team and a preparedness process, houses of worship can maintain an open and inviting environment for its worshipers that is also safe and secure.
Founded in 2014, Clearpath EPM is a technology and consulting firm providing risk mitigation and emergency preparedness consulting services to domestic and international schools, businesses, events and places of worship.
If your school, business, or place of worship is in need of building and maintaining robust pandemic policies and procedures, please feel free to contact us.
