Happy New Year! Let’s make 2016 as SAFE as possible! Whether you have a large staff or it is just you and the pastor, these 15 best safety practices can help navigate to keep everyone safe….so needed these days!
These resources came from the last Baptist Ministry Assistants of VA conference where a representative from the police and fire departments joined us to offer advice:
- Take cell phone with you when you leave your office, even to go to the restroom;
- Keep work area neat and organized to know if something has been stolen or tampered with;
- Keep door locked when in the office alone;
- Video surveillance system, motion sensor, doorbell as alert that someone is at the door;
- Ask for identification when strangers visit, no madder what credentials they SAY they have;
- Have a radio playing for “extra voices” to make it hard to tell if you are alone; PER is great!
- Control entry to building – Keep all doors locked except one main entrance on low traffic days;
- Don’t tag keys, use numerical system so thief has no way to know what locks they fit;
- Have an exit route mapped out in case of an active shooter in the church building;
- Do not put your full name on mailbox, answering machine messages;
- Roost battery for smoke detectors- works with your smart phone to send alerts, com;
- Plan and practice a fire exit drill – church and home;
- Have working fire extinguishers and test regularly. If Dial is green – good; if red – needs service;
- Keep shrubs trimmed so no one can hide behind them;
- Contact local police and fire Marshall for a free walk-through of your building for more tips.
If you would like a copy of these resources that offer even more tips, just send me a note using the form on the contact page: http://ministryassistants.mdba.org/contact/ .
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