Is Your Playground Safe?

Consider this scenario.  It's a warm sunny Sunday morning and your Kinder Church workers decide to take the children outside to play on the church playground.  Five year old Johnny loves to swing so he heads straight for the swing set.  Johnny loves to swing really high so he gets going as high as he can.  Suddenly the chain holding the swing breaks and Johnny hits the ground hard.  The workers run to his aid to find that Johnny may have broken his arm and has a head injury.  EMS is called and the parents are brought over from the main Sanctuary. Johnny is taken to the hospital and you as a church staff wait to hear how he is.

A few weeks later you receive a letter in the mail from Johnny's parent's attorney.  They have filed a lawsuit because Johnny has permanent damage from the accident that he will deal with the rest of his life.  You decide to inspect the playground to see what you may be dealing with and this is what you discover.  The playground equipment was purchased and installed by the Men's Ministry group over 15 years ago.  It is composed mostly of wood and metal.  There is only about two inches of cushion material below the equipment.  You also discover that the chain broke on the swing because of metal fatigue and age.  There are sharp edges and splintered wood all over and the equipment has never been inspected and repaired.

When is comes to the safety of our children we must ensure that the playground equipment that they play on is safe and trustworthy.  Here are some things to consider.

• The equipment must be age appropriate.  Younger children should not play on equipment made for older children.
• It should be appropriate for heavy use.  Do not purchase and install equipment intended for home use by two or three children for your church play area.
• Ensure that it is professionally installed.  If the Men's Ministry group installs it make sure that there is a professional over seeing the project.
• There must be a minimum of eight inches of cushion material under the equipment.  (sand, sawdust, rubber, etc)
• It must be inspected at least monthly and any issues or defects repaired or replaced immediately.

Accidents can happen but you do not want to contribute to an accident by allowing your playground equipment to deteriorate or by installing inferior equipment.  Our children and their parents have an expectation of safety when they come to church.  If you have never inspected your playground equipment, do so immediately.  Make the appropriate repairs and replace what needs to be replaced and provide a safe and happy environment for the kids in your care.

As always if you need more information on this and other church risk topics visit my website www.trinityriskmanagement.com.

The Benefits of a Risk Assessment for Your Church

If you have never done so, it may be a good idea to have a Risk Management professional complete a Risk Assessment of your church.  A thorough Risk Assessment can point out areas of vulnerability in your security and also help you limit premises liability as well.  A Risk Assessment should be completed by an outside party who has fresh eyes and no biases toward your church.  An independent consultant that can give it to you straight and not sugar coat your weaknesses or the chinks in your armor.

A thorough Risk Assessment will look at the physical security of your building and your ministries.  It should include fire safety, playground safety, how you protect the offering, trip and fall hazards and any other safety issues.  It should also include a hard look at your Children's and Youth Ministries.  Are these ministries protected from possible kidnappers?  You should also have them look at Pastoral and Platform protection to ensure that the Pastor and the members and visitors of your church are protected against intruders.  It should also include transporting children and youth and other members of the congregation to and from events off the property.  And one thing that most people forget about is food safety.  Do you have a kitchen and do the people that use it practice good food safety and sanitation?  There is nothing worse than having a barbeque chicken sale and have multiple people get sick from poor food safety practices.

A thorough Risk Assessment should look at all four corners of your property and everything that could be a liability to you and your members.  If you haven't had a Risk Assessment completed you should really think about it.  Call me and I can help.  For more information go to my website. www.trinityriskmanagement.com.

An Article from the Church Security Alliance Website

Pastor Murdered, Secretary Seriously Assaulted in Arlington, Texas Church.

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Arlington, TX - March 3, 2011, Arlington's Northpointe Baptist Church Pastor Clint Dobson was found dead this date and church assistant, Judy Elliott was found seriously injured in what police are describing as a robbery.

Police were called to the church property in the 2000 block of Brown Blvd. at approximately 0400 PM and discovered the crime scene.  Both victims were beaten severely.   Dobson was dead at the scene and Elliott was transported to the hospital in serious condition.

On March 7, 2011 two men were arrested for the murder and assault.  Police reported Pastor Dobson was suffocated with a plastic bag during the brutal attack.

Police received tips from community sources when one of the suspects was overheard saying inappropriate remarks about the pastor's death and produced credit cards taken during the robbery.

The suspect charged for suffocating Pastor Dobson is Steven Lawayne Nelson, 24, who remained in the Arlington Jail on Monday on suspicion of capital murder. Nelson is accused of suffocating the Rev. Clint Dobson, 28, while committing a robbery inside NorthPointe Baptist Church, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

The second suspect, Anthony Springs, was arrested too.  Both suspects face capital murder charges.

Police said numerous tips from the public as well as the use of the victims' credit cards at The Parks at Arlington mall helped them break the case. They declined to say whether Dobson had previously come into contact with the men.

Police advised property was taken from the church, but are not sure whether the true motive was robbery. Officers reported the doors were locked when they arrived.
Local news station Fox 4 reported there were security cameras inside the church, but it was unknown whether images of the crime were captured.

This is a tragic case with enormous effects on their immediate family and extended church family.  Our prayers are with Northpointe Baptist Church, the Arlington Police Department,families of the victims, and the souls of the suspects who did this.

Crime Against A Church Close To Home

March 11th, 2011 02:58pm

3 charged in Wilmington church theft

by Brian Freskos

Three people accused of stealing copper drainage piping from the Winter Park Presbyterian Church on Wrightsville Avenue were arrested Thursday evening by two plainclothes detectives who reportedly witnessed the theft, according to the Wilmington Police Department.

The three suspects–54-year-old Ronald Dale Pace, 40-year-old John Eric Lewallen and 51-year-old Nancy Clark Carter — were arrested after the detectives saw them loading the church’s drainage piping into a blue Jeep parked on Maple Avenue, which runs parallel to where the church is located on 4501 Wrightsville Avenue, police said.

Carter was charged with standing on the corner as the lookout while the other two men carried out the theft.

Lucy Crockett, a department spokeswoman, said the detectives stopped the suspects before they drove away and recovered the piping.

All the suspects were charged each with felony larceny and first-degree trespassing and property damage. The last known address for the three suspects was a local homeless shelter, Crockett said.

Pace and Lewallen were still in the New Hanover County jail Friday under a $10,000 bond. Carter was released on an unsecured bond.

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Security At Church?

We started a Response Team (Security Team) at our church about 5 years ago.  (I will tell you why we call it a Response Team instead of a Security Team in a later post) When I tell people that we have a Security Team at church the first question that I get is why?  Why do you have security at church?  Well my response is that we need to protect what God has given us.  Our Response Team's duties include protecting our Children's Ministries (the children, the volunteers and staff that work with our kids), our members and visitors, property, staff and of course our Pastors.  Our team works all events at the church and also district events that occur on our property.  The team is there to respond to incidents that may occur and to prevent any acts of violence, kidnappings or any other incidents that can occur on our property.

The Team is trained in First Aid/CPR, Pastoral/Platform Protection, Intruder Response, emergency procedures and many others.  The team is hand picked for service and includes some Law Enforcement, Military and Security Experts.  They are Prepared for the Worst but hoping for the Best.  With all of the violent incidents that are occurring at churches around the country, you need to be prepared to respond to such an incident at your church.

If you need help starting a Response Team (Security Team), give me a call.  I can help you get started.  Or visit my website at www.trinityriskmanagement.com for more information and links that can help.

Bradenton pastor attacked

during church robbery

By Summer Smith, Reporter 
Last Updated: Friday, March 4, 2011

VIDEO STORIES

·         Pastor forgives men despite attack 

BRADENTON -- 

The Manatee County Sheriff's Office is looking for a man they say stole from a church and then attacked the pastor at New Vision Baptist Church.

The church is currently under construction in Bradenton and its pastor, Orilange Bien-Aime, caught the men in action after driving by his church.

"I said 'Guys what you doing there?'" Bien-Aime said. "They said 'The boss told me to pick this up here.  And I said 'Who's the boss?'  They said 'The big boss.'  And I said 'No, I'm the boss, guys please put everything down on the floor.'"

Bien-Aime, also known as Pastor Ben, said the men were stealing the metal he had purchased for the roof area of the church and loading it into their truck.

Pastor Ben asked them to stop, but they refused. And when Pastor Ben tried to call 911, things took a turn for the worse.

"I put my hand to pick up the phone and began to call police," he said.  "And then they jumped over me and pushed me to the ground."

During the scuffle, Pastor Ben was able to steal the men's keys.

He was able to break away and call for help. Shortly after, deputies arrived and they arrested Joseph Seleb. The other man involved got away.

Pastor Ben was able to get back all $1,200 worth of metal that was stolen. 

To make sure nothing gets stolen again, the pastor said he will take all of his building supplies back and forth with him.

Despite what's happened, Pastor Ben says he doesn't hold a grudge against the men, instead he said he hopes this incident will make them change their ways.

"I'm praying for them," he said.

In the meantime, he continues to focus on keeping construction going to get his church built to help those in the community live better lives.

Seleb was arrested and charged with burglary and armed robbery. The other man involved is still on the run.

If you know any information, call the Manatee County Sheriff's Office at: 941-747-3011 or Crimestoppers at 1-866-634-tips (8477).

Assault with 1 Dead in a Texas Church

MARCH 03, 2011

1 dead, 1 hurt at NorthPointe Baptist Church in Arlington

Arlington police are on the scene at NorthPointe Baptist Church on Brown Boulevard, where at least one person is dead and one is injured. Police responded to a call an assault in progress at the church about 4:15 p.m., according to a police website. NorthPointe is satellite campus of First Baptist Church in Arlington.

According to WFAA's website, police said the suspect or suspects in the case may have fled the scene in the female victim's car, which was missing from the scene.

The vehicle is a four-door, cream-colored 2007 Mitsubishi Galant. The license plate number is DFR-352. Police have asked that anyone who spots the car alert authorities and not approach anyone inside the vehicle.

Read more: http://blogs.star-telegram.com/crime_time/2011/03/crime-scene-at-northpointe-baptist-church-in-arlington.html#ixzz1FrmMuXUF

Using Personal Vehicles to Transport Kids

Most people think nothing of driving kids and youth around in their own personal vehicles.  I have personally taken boys on camping trips when I was with Royal Rangers and have used my personal vehicle for many church related activities over the years.  But if an accident happens while you are transporting children or youth for the church, who is liable?

Most think that the church is liable.  But that can be a myth.  It all depends on the church's insurance policy.  The policy may or may not cover personal vehicles.  The policy could be written in a way that makes YOU personally liable for any and all accidents even if you are participating in a church sanctioned event.  The church's policy may not take over until the limits of your personal policy have paid the maximum benefit.  That could leave you and your family holding the bag.

It is so important to understand the insurance policy limitations and riders.  If you have never reviewed the policy you may want to do so before transporting children or youth again in your personal vehicle.  Just a heads up.  You may want to look at your policy as well.  If your personal vehicle policy thinks that the church should pay, they may fight you to avoid paying.

Just a dose of reality people.  Information is the key.  Be informed and know the risks.  As always, you can find more information and links on my website:  www.trinityriskmanagement.com

15 passenger Vans

My job requires me to travel a lot up and down the East Coast.  As I drive the highways and byways I pass 100's of churches.  One of the things that grabs my attention when I pass a church parking lot is how many 15 passenger vans I still see parked there.  To me it is unbelievable that churches today are still using these death traps on wheels.  With all of the data and research on how dangerous these vehicles are, I can't believe that they haven't been outlawed by the government.  Most insurance companies will not insure 15 passenger vans unless certain things are done to make them safer.  If your church is still using 15 passenger vans to transport children and youth, you should contact your insurance company to ensure that you are in compliance with your policy.  If you are not and an accident happens, the church will be wholly liable for any damages or loss of life because of these vehicles.

Here are some sobering statistics:
From February 1982 through 2007, there were 698 fatal rollovers involving 15 passenger vans.  These crashes killed 1,107 people and injured an additional 1,899.  5855 people were involved in a fatal rollover as a driver or passenger in the vans.   Because the victims were relatively young, 37,496 premature years of life (before age 70) have been lost in rollover accidents of 15 passenger vans since 1982.


Most insurance companies require training for anyone who will drive the vans and all drivers must be over 25.  They may also require that the rear seat be removed and that no more than 9 passengers be allowed in the van. They may also require a sway bar to be installed to make the vehicle more stable.  There are many more requirements that your insurance company may have, so you need to contact your insurance company and review your policy.

Transporting children and youth in personal vehicles can also open the church up to major liability issues as well. I will discuss that topic in a later post.  As always you can find more information on this and other risk issues by visiting my website.  www.trinityriskmanagement.com