Is Your Church Adequately Protected?

HAVE you ever consid­ered how prepared your congregation would be for a fire in their church? What would their reaction be to read­ing in the daily paper that their church now consisted of only a few charred beams, some blackened walls, and piles of ashes? Their beautiful building of last Sabbath is now only a memory. Instead of learning that their church was completely destroyed, per­haps the members were advised that owing to a fire in the church, services would be held in rented quarters pending the re­pair and refinishing of the damaged struc­ture.

This may be an experience that you have never had to face. Someday, however, it may be your church that we will be reading about. With churches accounting for more than 25 per cent of our denominational fire losses, we need to be alert to every pos­sibility of eliminating fire hazards in these structures. Each congregation should intel­ligently prepare for the emergency situa­tion of a fire. They will then be able to quickly recover and continue their normal activities as soon as possible.

October 9-15

Fire Prevention Week is a good time to bring your suggestions for improvements to your church board and congregation. This year, this week of "fire safety empha­sis" occurs during October 9 to 15. This is a time when the entire nation is reminded that fire is an enemy that is ever present and whose menace is increasing year by year.

We have a very real responsibility for protecting the Lord's work. The money that is invested in our denominational properties is not our own and it must be prudently guarded. It is inexcusable to re­quire an expenditure of funds for rebuild­ing or repairing church property destroyed or damaged by a fire that was caused by our failure to discharge our responsibility properly.

Heating and Electrical Systems

Most fires can be prevented, and the pas­tor is in the best position to inspire the church members to work together in elimi­nating fire hazards in the church. A review of the places of origin and causes of church fires indicates where to look for potential hazardous areas. The two biggest offend­ers are heating equipment defects and elec­trical faults.

All heating equipment should be in a separate room with fire-resistive walls and ceiling and a self-closing fire door with an Underwriters Laboratories 11/₉ hour "B" label. Have all heat-

ing equipment serviced twice a year. Wiring should be checked periodically by a licensed electri­cian. If fuses are used to protect the wiring system, be sure that the proper fuse is used for that partic­ular wire size. Too often oversized fuses are used. Care should be taken when extension cords are used. Do not put large electrical loads on these cords or place them in areas where they are subject to wear.

Poor Housekeeping

One common problem in churches is the poor housekeeping in certain areas. Com­bustibles are often stored in the furnace room, in the attic, under stairs or the plat­form, or in closets. Poor housekeeping causes fires to spread rapidly. Proper house­keeping in the Dorcas area is often neg­lected and must be constantly checked.

Keep the corridors, stairs, and exit doors free and accessible. So often we find these areas blocked with chairs, boxes, and other stored items.

All draperies, decorations, and Christmas trees should be of flame retardant material or should be adequately flameproofed.

Gasoline and other flammable liquids should be stored in Underwriters Labora­tories safety cans in a location outside the church. Gasoline-powered equipment, such as lawn mowers, should also be stored out­side.

Fire extinguishers should be provided in the church. But what good are the extin­guishers if no one knows where they are located or how to use them? A minimum for any church is one two-and-a-half gallon pressurized water extinguisher (ordinary combustible) for Class "A" fires. This should be located near the main entrance of the church. And one 10-pound dry chem­ical extinguisher for fires, Class "B" and "C" (flammable liquids and electrical), should be placed outside the room contain­ing the heating equipment. Each kitchen should have a five-pound Class "ABC" dry chemical extinguisher suitable for all classes of fires. These are minimum requirements only, and additional extinguishers may be required.

Churches Invite Arson

Most church fires occur when the build­ing is unoccupied. Because of the large open areas and delayed discovery, the fire usually gets a tremendous head start on the fire department. This problem can be re­duced by using building materials of proper fire resistance which will cut down the spread of the flames. Keeping all doors closed is very important. A fire detection system tied in to the fire department is a wise investment.

Churches invite arson because of their unoccupied status and ease of starting a large fire. Keep the church locked when it is not occupied and consider strategically located lights at night. A dark building in­vites trouble.

One of the best fire prevention tactics is for you to invite the local fire depart­ment to inspect your building. They will point out potential hazards and advise how to eliminate them. Some fire departments make regular inspections on their own in­itiative. Don't be misled by philosophy that the fire chief or inspector is to be avoided like a plague. They have your best interests at heart and are there to help you. Remember: if a hazard is found and they insist that it be eliminated, it is you they are helping. An additional benefit from regular inspections is that the firemen become well acquainted with your build­ing. This increases their efficiency tremen­dously if they should ever respond to a fire in your church.

When a Fire Occurs

In spite of proper fire prevention, fires will occur. Church members need to be advised what to do. Some churches conduct fire exit drills and this is to be encouraged. Exits must be adequately marked so that people may easily be evacuated.

Life safety is the prime consideration. Never delay calling the fire department by endeavoring to first extinguish the fire. A good rule to follow is:

1. Evacuate all occupants.
2. Call the fire department.
3. Fight the fire (if possible). The fire and police department telephone numbers should be on every telephone in the church so that no delay is experienced in trying to find the right number.

What Insurance Does

Adequate insurance guarantees the con­tinuity of your church program. If a loss should occur due to fire, explosion, wind­storm, riot, et cetera, you will be able to continue your church activities and repair the damage to the building. In the event of an injury to someone on church prop­erty or to someone conducting church busi­ness, adequate insurance will avoid finan­cial embarrassment to the church for any liability that may be ascribed to it.

It is essential for an insurance policy to be obtained for the exact peril or perils for which protection is desired. Insurance policies are precise in their language and are intended to be specific. It is not usually economically sound to provide protection against every possible peril. Therefore, a wise choice is necessary to obtain the max­imum protection at the least possible cost. A loss covered by insurance does not auto­matically allow you to make a replacement at no cost to you. Depreciation is usually a factor in the loss settlement.

Money Cannot Replace Everything

Have you considered the possibility of losing your personal files and library due to a fire either in your home or in the church? Often a minister's files are irre­placable as they have been accumulated over a period of many years, perhaps even a lifetime. The only acceptable place for your files and notes is in a fire-resistive file cabinet with an Underwriters Laboratories label of at least one hour fire-resistive rat­ing. This protection should be for your material both at home and at church. And don't forget, the best file cabinet in the world is worthless unless the material is stored in the cabinet and the drawers are kept closed!

Items Not Covered

Your personal library is covered by your personal homeowner's or tenant's insurance policy as long as the library is at your home. This coverage of professional items does not extend outside of your home, and spe­cial coverage would have to be obtained for protection elsewhere. An alternative is for the church fire policy to include this by us­ing one of the latest fire insurance forms available for churches, which provides cov­erage up to 55,000 on personal property of the pastor or pastors while on the church premises.

The ordinary fire and extended coverage insurance policy is not broad enough to give the proper personal protection needed today. Broad coverage is available in the homeowner's policy if you own your home, or in the tenant's policy if you are renting your present home.

Adequate Insurance Is Essential

Adequate insurance protection for churches consists of:

1. Adequate insurance coverage to reha­bilitate or reconstruct damaged or de­stroyed buildings.
2. Adequate insurance to pay sizable li­ability verdicts to injured persons or for property damage of others.
3. Adequate insurance to reimburse a substantial burglary or fidelity loss.
4. Adequate insurance to reimburse workers by means of Workmen's Com­pensation (or similar) in case of acci­dental injury or death while in the course of employment.

Conference Treasurer Responsible

The conference treasurer is responsible for adequate insurance on churches in his conference. He works with one of the in­surance counselors from the insurance serv­ice in determining proper insurance cov­erage. If you are not sure what coverage you now have, check with your conference treasurer. You can help him by keeping him informed when conditions in the church change that would increase or de­crease the value of the building or its con­tents. In summary, you should:

1. Be sure that fire hazards are corrected or eliminated.
2. Know what to do if a fire should occur.
3. Have adequate insurance and know what coverage is carried.
4. Know where technical assistance can be obtained and then use it. By faithfully accomplishing the above items, you can feel free that you have done all that is pos­sible to protect your church from fire.

Various brochures, check lists, and in­formation sheets are available on fire pre­vention, fire extinguishers, and insurance from the General Conference Insurance Service. If you have any particular prob­lem or question, do not hesitate to contact your conference treasurer.