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Planning is key to handling emergencies at house of worship
By LINDA M. LINONIS
YOUNGSTOWN
Places of worship may be targets of vandalism, theft, arson and bombings. The June 17 massacre of nine people attending a Bible study at a church in Charleston, S.C., is prompting conversations and examinations of safety measures at faith-based sites.
Delphine Baldwin-Casey retired as a detective sergeant with 31 years of experience at the Youngstown Police Department and is a reserve deputy with the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office. She started her career on patrol, and her last position was as planning and training officer. She formed the crisis intervention unit, now the family services investigative unit.
Baldwin-Casey said evolving a “high-quality” plan for emergencies of all kinds that might occur at a house of worship is the key to preparedness. After the plans are made, she continued, it’s vital that team members “practice the response ... to shorten the response time and be familiar with their roles.”
Baldwin-Casey said resources include local police departments and accessing the “guide for developing high-quality emergency operations plans for houses of worship” provided by Federal Emergency Management Agency.
She said faith-based organizations “first must identify members” to serve on a safety team. This group would include faith leaders, law enforcement and military personnel, health-care workers such as doctors, nurses, emergency medical technicians and those in the mental-health field. The team must meet regularly and practice responses.
Baldwin-Casey said the FEMA plan addresses five areas and time frames of before, during and after an incident:
Prevention: The capability to avoid, deter or stop a crime or threatened or actual incident with casualties.
Protection: Measures to protect people and property against man-made or natural disasters.
Mitigation: The ability to eliminate or reduce loss of life and property damage by lessening the incident’s impact.
Response: The capability to stabilize an incident, establish a secure environment and save lives and property.
Recovery: What it will take to restore the environment of a house of worship after an incident.
“No one expects something to happen at a church or place of worship. That’s a devastating situation,” Baldwin-Casey said. “Planning will make a difference. There’s more to church security than watching the parking lot,” she said.
Some churches use electronic security and surveillance systems; others can’t afford that. Some basic precautions, the retired police officer said, include keeping doors locked, monitoring entrances, reminding members not to leave car keys in coats or purses unattended and not advertising monetary donations.
Houses of worship should check with local police about safety precautions when making bank deposits and keeping when and where money is counted confidential.
Baldwin-Casey said the concealed-carry law in Ohio went into effect in 2004. She said “protection for themselves and family” is the No. 1 reason voiced by those who attend concealed-carry classes taught by her husband, Ronald Casey Sr., a National Rifle Association-certified concealed-carry instructor.
Doctors, nurses, teachers, ministers and others are among class participants. “Those who work the night shift or work in high-crime areas often take the class,” she said.
Baldwin-Casey said she wanted to be clear. “No one has ever been specific and said they wanted to carry for protection in church but more for coming and going,” she said. But, she observed, those with concealed-carry permits decide when and where to carry.
She said the concealed-carry classes include information on self-defense.
The retired police officer, who does consulting, said she is developing a program on emergency plans for houses of worship. For information, call Baldwin-Casey at 330-559-1927.