When a church looks at their Emergency & Evacuation Plans the most (and usually only) scenario that is considered is evacuation when there is a fire in the building.
However, recent events in Sydney show that we need to be thinking about other possibilities. What plans does your church have if their was an armed offender in the building. What would people do? Does the leadership have an understanding of what might be required and a plan of action? Is there anyone in your church who could take charge of the situation?
Some resources are available for the church leadership to look through, assess and include into their Emergency & Evacuation Plan:
- SAPOL have a page on their website that provide information and a risk assessment tool to guide the leadership through understanding and assessing the risk for the local church.
SAPOL Crowded Places - The NT Government also has some information on how to identify and manage crowded places.
NT Govt Crowded Places - Both the SA & NT Governments link to the Australian National Security website. This group has been specifically setup to assist organisations in knowing what to do in case of an armed attack. The church leadership should review this information and documentation to see how it is applicable in the local context and ensure that the right people know what the right actions are.
What to do in an attack
How to manage a crowded place (Go to the “Crowded places guidelines” tab and review the document called “Active Armed Offender Guidelines” at the bottom of the page.)
Please Note: This information has not been designed to alarm you, but to inform you on how to best protect the people in your care in the case of a personal attack on your church. Please review and incorporate this information into your safety procedures.