Planning for a worst-case scenario is never a pleasant job. It can be particularly hard for churches to engage in this type of planning because of budget constraints, manpower issues and cultural mindsets. Recent events, however, have brought into sharp focus the fact that the unthinkable can and does sometimes occur in our churches, and when it does, we will be asked what we could have done differently. Did we have a plan, and how did we create it?

Emergency planning is a process, rather than a task; so unfortunately, we can’t just write a plan and be done with it. It functions on a cycle, not in a line with a beginning and end. Effective risk management is ongoing, as we learn from the past and plan for the future.

We try to prevent incidents, plan for those we can’t prevent, respond when they occur, and recover from the incident afterwards. We discover lessons to be learned from the incident and try to mitigate for the next time. But we have to begin somewhere in that cycle, and that starting point is the mitigation phase. This means developing a comprehensive hazard-identification and vulnerability analysis.

Begin by determining what types of incidents have occurred in the past in your church, others like it or those nearby. It’s also important to consider new threats, changing environments and trends. For instance, just a few short years ago, the idea of planning for an active shooter in a church would have seemed ridiculous. It doesn’t seem so over-the-top now, and many churches have begun trying to be prepared for it. Start looking at your church’s security as part of your emergency planning process.

Identify hazards that occur with some frequency in your area, such as tornadoes, floods, break-ins and burglaries, and include any new information, such as that chemical plant that just opened down the block. Each identified hazard (defined as a natural or man-made situation that can cause a serious negative impact on the entire church community) is then assessed. Take into account which essential facilities and populations are at risk from a specific hazard, and the likelihood, warning time and severity of it occurring.

• Ask yourself these questions as you look at each hazard:
• Could it happen here?
• If it does, is it a significant threat?
• Is there a history of it happening here?
• How many people would it affect?

Once hazards have been identified and assessed, look at your church’s vulnerability for each specific one. Remember, as you plan to respond, many different hazards will have a similar response.

The goal of the vulnerability analysis is to take each hazard, starting with the ones that have the highest probability of occurring in your church, and assess your church’s vulnerability for each one. You want to be able to identify which hazards are the biggest threats, so that they have priority in your planning. Remember to take into account people in your church who have special needs. Children, the elderly and disabled people may be highly vulnerable to a hazard that able-bodied adults could simply walk away from.

With an index of risks and a prioritization of the hazards to mitigate and plan for, the next step is to review existing capabilities. Most churches have enormous capabilities, wider in scope than realized on a day-to-day basis.

It’s quite likely your biggest asset is your people. Your church membership may already include individuals with backgrounds in law enforcement, firefighting, security, safety and many other valuable skill sets. You may even have the town’s emergency program manager sitting in the pew. Tap into these resources, including them in the analysis phase.

Now take a close look at your volunteer workforce, and ask these questions about them:

1. What types of special training do they have?
2. What are their unique skills and strengths?
3. How much do I know about them? Could they, themselves, represent hazards?

Also, ask which types of equipment and technology are in place to help reduce any given threat. Are access controls needed to prevent specific hazards from becoming an incident? Look at closed-circuit TV monitoring, recording and other technological aspects. A thorough analysis includes mapping out the location of all emergency equipment, exits and evacuation routes, as well as structural and utilities diagrams.

Document everything. If an incident occurs in your church, you will need to provide information quickly to first responders and other key stakeholders. Keep maps and diagrams in a place where they can be readily accessed by those who will need them immediately.

A comprehensive risk assessment is a vital component of emergency planning, and both are indispensable if we are to truly manage risk for our worshippers.

George D. Sullivan is a safety professional with more than a decade of experience in emergency preparedness, strategic safety planning and team management. An emergency planning consultant and founding partner of Tutis Vero Inc. (www.tutisvero.com), he’s passionate about addressing risk from a comprehensive angle, rather than potentially compromising lives with a partial plan. Contact him at 720.690.6455 or george@tutisvero.com.

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