wfn.org | Church Fire Prevention Tips

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"UNITED METHODIST DAILY NEWS" by SUSAN PEEK on Aug. 11, 1991 at 13:58 Eastern,
about FULL TEXT RELEASES FROM UNITED METHODIST NEWS SERVICE (3150 notes).

Note 3148 by UMNS on Sept. 4, 1996 at 15:52 Eastern (1940 characters).

SEARCH:   church, arson, fire, prevention, tips, suggestions,
recommendations
Produced by United Methodist News Service, official news agency of
the United Methodist Church, with offices in Nashville, Tenn., New
York, and Washington.

Contact:  Joretta Purdue                         434(10-71B){3148}
          Washington, D.C.  (202) 546-8722           Sept. 4, 1996

Mailing to local churches
offers fire prevention tips

     EVANSTON, Ill. (UMNS) -- Church burnings, frequently in the
news this spring and summer, have prompted the United Methodist
Church's finance agency to do a mailing to local churches,
outlining arson prevention tips.
     Developed with the loss control staff at Kemper Insurance
Company, the General Council on Finance and Administration has
mailed the list of suggestions to local churches in all but the 11
annual conferences that have their own plans.
     Topping the preventive actions are recommendations about
improving exterior lighting and evaluating landscaping so that it
does not restrict vision of people approaching or leaving the
facility.
     Secure locks, checked at the end of each day, and the use of
a monitored burglar-fire alarm are encouraged.
     Having the police check the building when it is unattended is
suggested. If arson or assaults are a problem in the area,
organizing a church watch could be helpful.
     Other suggestions include educating the congregation about
arson, keeping a current list of the people who have access to
church keys, changing the locks periodically and initiating a
community arson hotline for reporting information about suspicious
fires if the community does not have such a program already.
     A final suggestion, although not perhaps preventive in
nature, stresses the importance of keeping adequate insurance
coverage to replace the building and its contents.
                              #  #  #

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