Presented in May 2010 for representatives of parishes throughout the Episcopal Diocese of Texas to learn about preparing their churches for emergencies.

1. 2010
Diocesan
Preparedness
Month

2. Why Prepare?
Photo: www.texasescapes.com

3. Why Prepare?
Photo: www.washington.edu

4. Why Prepare?
Photo: www.satromaranch.com

5. Why Prepare?
Photo: NASA

6. Why Prepare?
‣ Acknowledge our vulnerability in considering the
worst possible scenarios that could affect us.
‣ Take precautions to minimize the effects of a crisis
situation and maximize our ability to recover quickly.
‣ Equip ourselves to assist others, responding with love
to an affected community.

7. How do I prepare?
‣ Put together a team.
‣ Establish parish priorities.
‣ Identify your risks.
‣ Make preparedness part of your regular
maintenance schedule.
‣ Secure your facilities.

8. How do I prepare?
‣ Make an evacuation plan.
‣ Create a communications plan.
‣ Help to ensure that your parishioners are
protected.
‣ Connect with community disaster groups.
‣ Review and update your plan annually.

9. Step One: Assemble a Team
‣ Elect a Parish Emergency Coordinator.
‣ Form a Parish Emergency Committee.
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10. Step Two: Establish Priorities
Mission of the
Episcopal Diocese of Texas
in Times of Crisis:
To serve Episcopalians and their
neighbors.
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11. Step Two: Establish Priorities
‣ Consider the composition, culture, and
particular needs of your parish.
‣ Consider partner ministries associated with
and/or included in your church community.
‣ Identify priorities specific to your parish.
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12. Step Three: Identify Risks
‣ Research local crisis history.
‣ List out all events of the past 50 years,
including both man-made and natural
disasters.
‣ Think about crises that could affect your
community, including even the most extreme.
‣ List out all possible crises.
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13. Step Three: Identify Risks
‣ Rank historical and possible crises, and
identify the emergencies most likely to occur.
‣ Mentally walk through each of the most likely
disasters.
‣ Find out how you will receive warning, and
what the procedures are for evacuation or
shelter-in-place, if necessary.
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14. Step Three: Identify Risks
‣ Walk through parish facilities, noting areas of
particular vulnerability.
‣ Identify ways to reduce hazards.
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15. Step Four: Maintenance
‣ Complete a full inventory
of parish property and
holdings annually.
‣ Store a copy of the
completed inventory off-
site or online.
‣ Record insurance contact
information.
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16. Step Four: Maintenance
‣ Check all hazard alarms, including fire and
carbon monoxide.
‣ Install additional alarms or replace where
necessary according to the recommendations
of local authorities.
Photo: www.avongov.org
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17. Step Four: Maintenance
‣ Train all staff and ministry leaders in the use
of fire extinguishers.
‣ Post instructions for us and local fire officials
contact information.
‣ Check extinguishers to ensure that you’re
using the right type for each type of fire.
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18. Step Four: Maintenance
Classifications: http://www.hanford.gov/fire/safety/extingrs.htm

19. Step Four: Maintenance
‣ Put together at least one
first-aid kit.
‣ List out the parishioners,
staff, and ministry leaders
trained and certified in
first aid and CPR.
‣ Encourage others to get
trained.
Photo: www.fieldskills.com
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20. Step Five: Secure Facilities
‣ Know who has access to the building at all
times.
‣ Train staff, vestry members, and key ministry
leaders in disarming the security system.
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21. Step Five: Secure Facilities
‣ Record the location of
and instructions for
shutting off each utility.
‣ Train, staff, clergy, and
ministry leaders.
Photo: www.commgassolutions.co.uk
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22. Step Five: Secure Facilities
‣ Identify important files
and records.
‣ Store securely on-site
and off-site or online.
‣ Keep a list of passwords
and user names for all
computers, software, and Photo: www.state.nj.us
websites utilized by the
parish. 25

23. Step Six: Plan for Evacuations
‣ Identify essential items to remove from
parish in an evacuation.
‣ Create a “church in a box” containing all
items essential to holding services.
‣ Identify alternate operations/worship sites.
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24. Step Seven: Communications
‣ Gather information from all parishioners,
including phone numbers, home addresses,
email addresses, and evacuation destinations.
‣ Create a plan for contacting parishioners and
update annually.
‣ Identify persons authorized to address the
media.
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25. Step Eight: Serving Parishioners
‣ Never assume your parishioners will be safe
in an emergency, or that they have taken the
recommended precautions.
‣ Identify vulnerable persons within your
congregation and help to ensure that they
will also be safe.
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26. Step Nine: Connect
‣ Identify community organizations and officials
who are or will become active in disasters.
‣ Introduce yourself, know how to contact
them, and let them know how to contact you
when disaster strikes.
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27. Step Nine: Connect
‣ Partnering with another parish provides an
opportunity to both serve others and to
receive services in an emergency.
‣ Establish a relationship with a parish in
another region of the diocese, not
susceptible to the same emergencies at the
same time as your parish.
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28. Final Steps
‣ Fill out the summary at the end of the
workbook and send to Russ Oechsel, Co-
Diocesan Emergency Coordinator for the
Diocese of Texas.
‣ Set an annual review date.
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29. Questions?