HOW-TO Establish An Effective and Compliant Emergency Communication System
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.
LINCROFT, NEW JERSEY: St. Leo the Great Church was established in Lincroft, New Jersey over sixty years ago during the area’s suburban boom of the late 1950s. Its beautiful sanctuary seats approximately 800 people but provides tough acoustics for intelligibility, a problem that had previously been dealt unsatisfactorily with several lines of delay loudspeakers. Recently, local AV integration firm Concept Professional Systems designed and installed a beautifully simple new sound reinforcement system at St. Leo the Great Church. Ditching the delays and relying on Danley Sound Labs’ famous pattern control and phase-coherent, long distance throw, the church now enjoys intelligible speech and lively music reinforcement from the front pew to the back pew.
Feasterville, PA-July 2019… Sometime around 1730, John Feaster and his wife Rachel migrated from Holland to what is now Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Today, the Pennsylvania Turnpike runs through the community of about 3,600 people, located roughly halfway between Philadelphia and Trenton, that bears Feaster’s name.
The 14th annual Worship Facilities Conference and Expo (WFX) is coming up in September. The event is designed to train, inspire and bring ministry teams together to learn under one roof. With sessions geared toward worship, tech, communications, facilities, church administration, and leadership, WFX is a one-stop church event for everyone. Here’s a bit from WFX Brand Leader/Conference Director, Beth Vinton about what’s new at WFX19…
