Guide for Developing High-Quality Emergency Operations Plans for Houses of Worship

Publication Date: 2013
Tag(s): emergency management and homeland security, policy and plan development, prevention, risk assessment and management, strategies, threat assessment
Author(s): U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), U.S. Department of Education (ED), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
Abstract: The guide provides recommendations in the development of plans not only to respond to an emergency, but also outlines how organizations can plan for preventing, protecting against, mitigating the impact of and recovering from these emergencies. It translates lessons learned from the Administration's work on national preparedness to the school, IHE, and house of worship contexts, ensuring that these critical assets are benefiting from recent advancements in the emergency planning field. Houses of worship are introduced to a new approach to planning that includes walking through different emergency scenarios to create a course of action for each objective the team is trying to accomplish. The guide emphasizes that successful planning requires all stakeholders be engaged in the planning process from the start including community partners such as local law enforcement, fire officials, EMS and emergency management staff.