Safety and Security for Churches and Other Places of Worship

Safety and Security for Churches and Other Places of Worship is a reference book focused on how to form a first responder team for churches, synagogues, temples, and other places of worship. It will assist team leaders on how to train for both security and medical emergencies, provide training aids and ideas, and how to write SOPs and legal issues.

Trending violence directed at soft targets is growing, forcing places of worship to respond with highly trained personnel to quickly intervene. Many medical incidents can have drastically better outcomes if trained medical personnel render immediate medical care. For instance, the use of an AED in conjunction with CPR can drastically improve survival rates from 15% to 85%, versus just CPR alone.

Topics covered include:

• Environmental disasters
• Acts of violence
• Active shooter incidents
• Bomb threats
• Unruly/disruptive persons
• Suspect control
• Sexual abuse
• Realistic training using fake wounds
• Tabletop exercises
• Team building
• Medical emergencies

An equipment chapter helps to determine what equipment is a priority for teams limited by budget. Some equipment can mean the difference between a "friend" being mistaken for an aggressor, resulting in an innocent person being injured or killed.

Safety and Security for Churches and Other Places of Worship is a must-have reference for anyone charged with the duty to protect those who attend and work at places of worship.