How Congregations Can Respond to the Most Common Emergency Situations

All Congregations in the Diocese should be prepared for medical, environmental and behavioral
emergencies.

• Medical emergencies (heart attacks, strokes, falls, allergic reactions etc.)

• Environmental emergencies (tornado or other severe weather, loss of power,
property damage etc.)

• Behavioral emergencies (threats or criminal acts, emotionally disturbed persons,
disruptive behavior etc.)

To lessen the impact from these emergencies, all congregations need to develop a cost-effective
Emergency Response Plan (ERP) meeting their desired level of safety and security. An ERP is designed to
increase the reaction time to a crisis and decrease recovery time in returning to normal activities. The
ERP when shared with parishioners will display care for their welfare and assist in their ability to react
during a crisis. Congregations may have members with emergency response experience who can assist in
the development of a plan. Resources from local police and fire departments or offices of emergency
management can also provide guidance or support.

A comprehensive Emergency Planning, Response and Recovery Guide to assist in the ERP process can be found here.

AED Fund Grant for Congregations

Applications Now Open

As we launch the diocesan wide Emergency Response Plan (ERP) the Trustees of the Diocese have generously approved funds that congregations can request to use toward the purchase of an AED (automated external defibrillator). In order to receive the funds, a representative from the requesting congregation must fill out the application by clicking on the button below.