Create your emergency security plans, run regular risk assessments, and practice your security plans. It is important to prepare for all types of hazards when creating your plans. Don’t focus on any one type of scenario.
Designate a member of your staff to serve as your safety security team (SST) manager.
Make sure you have a member of your staff serve as your incident commander and designate backups in the event of a person’s absence.
Meet regularly with and develop lasting relationships with your local law enforcement, and public officials (including your fire department, and EMS).
Provide regular security training to your staff and volunteer lay leadership. Run safety and security drills, review how to respond to different scenarios. Update your plans as needed.
Establish procedures and protocols for controlling access into your facility. Consider both visitor and package delivery controls.
Encourage your staff, leadership, and volunteers to be aware of suspicious behavior and activity, and make sure that they are familiar with your procedures for reporting it.
Be sure that everyone at your organization is familiar with suspicious mail indicators and what to do if they receive a suspicious letter or package.
Create a plan for responding to bomb threats. Have a safe distance evacuation plan including separate meeting locations that vary depending on the type of threat.
Establish an emergency response plan which may include evacuation, shelter-in-place, and a full lockdown of your facility.
Practice your plans; practice evacuation, just like you would a fire drill, including routes to assembly points. Make sure to include a way to log who should be there and track who is missing at rendezvous points.
Prepare for how you would continue your organization’s operations after an incident, such as accessing important computer files and records from off-site or online locations.
Make sure all your technology, such as security cameras, DVR's and access controls are working properly. Make sure you are maintaining them.
Maintain facility security as well (ie lighting and landscaping). Make sure your fixtures have working bulbs, and shrubs are cut back so that no-one can hide next to your buildings.
Monitor news sources and be alert to events that may have security implications for your institution. Watch for SAFE WA: Alert messages.
Have your Safety Team meet at least quarterly. Discuss things that can be done to enhance security. Have drills with staff, then do a quick meeting afterward to discuss how the drill was successful, or if there were any problems. Empower the team to be part of the discussion.