What is an Emergency Action Plan for Churches?

Churches provide resources and support to church members and the public during emergencies. However, some emergencies—such as tornadoes or hazardous material incidents—may affect the church and its employees directly. Developing an emergency plan will enable churches to handle these types of emergencies.

Emergency Assignments

• Assign each church employee specific duties to perform in an emergency. For example, a pastor could take charge as the emergency coordinator, an usher may become area monitor for the sanctuary, and a secretary could oversee the medical response team.

Emergency Plans and Procedures

• Develop plans, policies and training schedules for the most likely emergencies to affect a church—such as fires, power loss, severe weather and structural collapse—and practice these procedures at least once a year. Ensure that all church employees, leaders and educators, such as pre-school and Sunday School teachers, obtain CPR and First Aid training.

Evacuation

• Develop evacuation routes for all locations in the church, including rallying points away from the building. Inform all church members about the emergency evacuation procedures during member orientations and before annual emergency practice sessions.

Contact Information

• Compile contact information for emergency services—such as fire, ambulance and police, utility companies—such as electric, water, gas and telephone and members of the church emergency response team. Post these numbers in a prominent, easily accessed location.

Critical Operations and Continuity

• Determine the church’s critical operations—such as offering communion, holding Bible classes or providing counseling services—and those employees necessary for these operations. Make arrangements to fulfill these operations in alternative locations or by other methods, such as by telephone or over the Internet, following an emergency.