US Government issues guide to security at houses of worship

Wisconsin, United States: It is learnt that the US Department of Homeland Security recently issued a Guide for Developing High-Quality Emergency Operations Plans for Houses of Worship. The guide references the 2012 shooting at the Oak Creek Sikh Gurdwara in Wisconsin.

The guide provides houses of worship with information regarding emergency operations planning for the spectrum of threats and hazards they may face. It discusses actions that may be taken before, during, and after an incident in order to reduce the impact on property and any loss of life and it encourages every house of worship to develop an Emergency Operations Plan (EOP).

According to inforamtion shared by World Sikh Council – America Region (WSC-AR): [t]he document covers the principles of emergency operations planning, a process for developing, implementing, and continually refining a house of worship’s EOP with community partners, a discussion of the form and function of a house of worship’s EOP, and a closer look that discusses house of worship emergency planning in the event of an active shooter situation.