There’s a haunting question that should always be on your
mind when beginning your church facility assessment. It’s a question most people are afraid to think
about, but one every church leader should consider. What would happen if an active shooter
slipped into the facility during a weekend service? Does the current building design thwart danger
or leave members vulnerable to attack?
With the increase of mass killings plaguing our
headlines, it is becoming more evident that the church must be proactive to
avert the horrifying possibility and of an active shooter.
These days, it’s imperative that church leaders conduct a
ruthless self-evaluation of the church’s design and plan.
1) Is there a standardized campus-wide
warning system?
In other words, in the event of an active shooter does
your policies and procedure manual have a documented strategic process that
puts the building on lockdown mode and warns staff, volunteers, or members of the
presence of an active shooter? There are
multiple ways to do this; the key is having a system in place and that your
team knows what it is and what to do. You
can also upgrade your fire alarm system to include a voice evacuation system
for mass notification throughout the building.
2) Do key environments have single points
of access?
In the event of an active shooter each ministry needs the
ability to quickly lock down and secure their environment until help arrives. This is most easily and promptly accomplished
when there is only one main entry point to each environment. For example, your children’s ministry
environments should be able to barricade a single point of entry to secure and
protect children and workers. A
children’s ministry where classrooms are littered down a long corridor with
multiple points of entry may not be able to quickly and securely lock down the
entire environment.
3) Is your greeter team trained to look
and respond to potential threats?
Each volunteer on your greeter teams should be on the
lookout and know how to respond to potential threats to the church body. Every weekend volunteer should know what to
look for and how to report suspicious behavior. For example, the parking team, as the front
line of defense, needs the ability to alert the security team if something
feels a little out-of-whack. And the
door greeters need to know how to respond if they notice a guest wearing
tactical gear. The more eyes you have
scanning attendees entering the building, the more likely you’ll be able to
divert a threat. A good rule of thumb is
to always have at least two trained greeters at every entry or key access
point. You might even think about adding
security cameras throughout the building for extra surveillance.
4) Is your entry sequence multi-layered?
Churches without lobbies or with small or straightforward
entry sequences create high levels of vulnerability. Though you want your environments to be
welcoming, require attendees to travel through several environments before
reaching the auditorium or kids’ space. Multi-layered
entry will help deter potential threats.
5) Are there adequate places to hide?
Most active shooter training includes a “run-hide-fight”
strategy. It’s critical that attendees
have places to hide.
Because many lobbies and auditoriums are designed to
maximize open space, there are often not many places to hide. Evaluate your
public areas to determine if there are adequate hiding spaces. This can include half walls, counters,
furniture, and closets. You might even
think about adding ballistic or blast film to windows. If hiding becomes the safest strategy for
survival, leaders should know to lock doors, turn off lights, and cover all windows.
Additionally, your leaders should have
the resources to black out viewing into the room quickly.
6) Are there multiple escape routes?
Most building codes require a minimum number of ways to
exit. And in the event of a slow-moving fire in the building, that minimum
number may be adequate. In an active
shooter scenario, when seconds matter, it’s wise to have additional exits to
handle panicked victims as they escape. Does your building have adequate doors for
immediate evacuation?
7) Are all emergency exit doors alarmed?
With the enhancement of new exit doors, there’s the
possibility that a door might get propped open. A cracked door would allow for troublemakers
to enter unnoticed. Exit-only doors
should be alarmed and have panic hardware only on the inside of the door.
8) Does your building have pedestrian
protection?
Have you seen those red concrete spheres outside of each
Target store? You may think they were
the attempt of some New York designer to add a splash of color to the sidewalk. Those bollards are strategically placed to
protect pedestrians and prevent large trucks from crashing into the lobby. Church lobbies and walkways are often exposed
without the protection of bollards, large planters or red concrete balls.
9) Does your church have gunfire detection
sensors?
Much like a fire alarm, churches are installing gunfire
detection sensors. These high-tech
sensors immediately alert local authorities when a gun is fired in or around
your building. The sensors are so
sophisticated that they can differentiate between loud noises and gunfire. Many even report the type of gun that was
fired. When seconds matter, gunfire
sensors could be the difference between life and death.
10) Does your team regularly pray for
protection from potential threats?
Has the safety and security of your church members become
an ongoing matter of prayer for your staff and leaders?
I would also make the following recommendations:
1) Depending on the size of the building, every church
should have a minimum number of 3-6 men and women every Sunday armed with concealed weapons and trained in
their application.
2) In addition, all doors should be locked 10
minutes after the services start and not unlocked until after the services are over.
3) In addition, some churches install “doorbells”
at entrances and can let people in who arrive late for services.
4) Finally, several people can be carrying pepper
spray canisters as well.
If you have any questions or you are
interested in a consultation on safety & security for your church you can
contact me at:
Integrity
Security Consulting
Russ
Sharrock
405-762-2471 | integrityseccon@hotmail.com
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