In an Emergency, the Plan is Useless

Learning beforehand what is in the plan is essential!

For nearly a decade, UUSE has had an Emergency Management Plan as its policy. This defines immediate actions to be taken for ten different hazards risking life, limb, or property before 911 responders arrive. But when an emergency strikes, there is no time to find and read that plan. One must learn ahead of time what to do. To be prepared, here's one action to know for one of the hazards:

During a Sunday Service, you're singing a hymn upstairs. Your child is downstairs with the CYM program. Suddenly, the fire alarm goes off, and you are told to evacuate. Leaving the sanctuary, you immediately go downstairs to pick up your child. Is this what the Emergency Management Plan describes you should do?

In any fire or smoke emergency, the safest actions require each person to leave the building quickly. The plan defines that children will be quickly led to their exits at the ground level. In small groups, they go up with adults to the parking lot. Thus, any parent going downstairs will find it impossible to locate their child and will not be where the child will be looking for them.

You can obtain a printed copy of the UUSE Emergency Management Plan at the church office. A quick way to learn all the actions for any hazard would be to ask for a discussion or tabletop exercise. At a future committee or group meeting, this will only take 10 to 15 minutes to learn and practice the details. Contact Annie in the office at 860-646-5151 if interested in holding a tabletop exercise.

~The Emergency Preparedness Team

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