When a congregation — large or small — comes together and creates a new space for worship and programming, it must incorporate into its design the emergency communications systems (ECS) that instruct people what to do and where to go in the event of an emergency. In most houses of worship, ECS are designed to deliver concise and timely instructions for fire, severe weather, and other emergency scenarios occurring during regular services, during weekday hours if the building hosts a school, and during special events, memorials, and celebrations.

The modern ECS supports a multilayered platform for communications, incorporating visual, voice, and personal notification via email or text message. Across the United States, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Part 72 guidelines define how these emergency messages are conveyed. In short, the NFPA provides a code that local municipalities use as a foundation for their own life safety requirements, which in turn govern ECS in facilities including houses of worship.

While visual communications — static or digital signage, often along with strobe lighting — play a role in any facility’s safety measures, and personal notification can be valuable in corporate and educational environments, voice communications typically are the primary tool used by houses of worship to bring a measure of order to potentially chaotic and stressful situations. This format allows for dynamic real-time provision of specific instructions as dictated by changing circumstances.