Emergency Action Plan

Emergencies can happen without warning. This plan sets out what Centrepoint leaders, staff, volunteers and attendees do to protect life and health when they do.

Applies to: all Sunday services and midweek activities; all church-owned or leased buildings; all temporary venues (schools, community centres, hired halls); and all staff, volunteers, contractors, and attendees.

Service Incident Response Team (SIRT)

The SIRT is Centrepoint's on-the-day emergency response team. It is present at all main services and at other gatherings where needed. Its job is to watch for problems, respond early, and run the response if something happens.

The SIRT is Centrepoint's Emergency Control Organisation under AS 3745.

The full SIRT procedure can be found here.

Standing composition (every main service):

• A Team Leader who reports to the Campus Pastor.

• Both male and female members.

• Members aged 18 or over.

Roles during an incident:

• Incident Controller (IC), usually the Campus Pastor, Service Pastor or a delegated senior leader. Runs the incident, decides evacuate or lock down, and liaises with Emergency Services.

• Deputy IC, a delegated leader who acts for the IC if they are absent or unable to continue.

• Area Wardens, by zone (Auditorium, Foyer, Kids, Youth, Carpark). Direct the response in their zone and sweep rooms and toilets where safe.

• Wardens (SIRT members and ushers). Guide people to exits and the Assembly Area.

• First Aid Officers, trained members who provide first aid within their training.

Command line:

The SIRT Team Leader reports to the Campus Pastor. During any emergency, the whole SIRT operates under the IC. The SIRT manages the individual or the scene; the IC owns the decision to evacuate or lock down. One person makes that call.

Emergency Contacts

• Police, Fire, Ambulance (emergency): 000

• Police Assistance (non-urgent): 131 444

• State Emergency Service (storm, flood): 132 500

• Alarm monitoring, Security West (24/7): [insert contact]

• Fire equipment, Applied Fire Technology (serviced 6-monthly): [insert contact]

Core Principles

These apply to every emergency.

• Life safety comes first. Property, equipment and the run sheet are secondary.

• If in doubt, treat it as real. Evacuate or lock down, and call 000 early.

• Follow the SIRT. The IC and wardens give directions during an emergency.

• Use the nearest safe exit. Never use lifts in a fire or suspected fire.

• Help vulnerable people: children, elderly, anyone with a mobility or sensory impairment.

• Do not re-enter until the IC or Emergency Services give the all clear.

Deciding to Evacuate or Lock Down

The IC assesses the type of emergency, where it is, and the immediate risk, if that can be done safely. If any doubt remains, the IC orders an evacuation.

Before committing, the IC considers:

• Can this be managed locally without clearing the whole site (for example, a minor medical event)?

• Would evacuation make things worse? An armed offender in the carpark may call for lockdown, not evacuation.

If a venue's own wardens or Emergency Services order an evacuation, Centrepoint complies immediately.

Evacuation Procedure

This is the master procedure for any life-safety emergency: fire, smoke, gas, structural failure, and the like. The specific sections below add only what is unique to each.

1. Raise the alarm.
   Whoever discovers the emergency warns those nearby ("EMERGENCY, EVACUATE"), activates the alarm if there is one, and notifies the IC. Call 000 with the details.

2. Announce the evacuation.
   The IC or a delegated warden announces, by PA or loud voice:
   ATTENTION PLEASE. WE ARE EVACUATING THE BUILDING. PLEASE FOLLOW YOUR LEADERS AND WARDENS TO THE NEAREST SAFE EXIT AND MOVE TO THE ASSEMBLY AREA. PARENTS: DO NOT GO TO KIDS ROOMS. YOUR CHILDREN WILL BE BROUGHT TO YOU BY THEIR LEADERS.

3. Move people out in phases.
   Release in order, prioritising vulnerable groups, and keep the flow moving without bottlenecks. The IC can override the phases and order an immediate full evacuation if danger is imminent.

   1. Kids and carers, led by the Kids Pastor or Kids Leaders, taking sign-in rolls and emergency kits by the kids routes.

   2. Mobility-impaired and elderly, assisted by assigned wardens and pastors, using ramps and the widest exits. No lifts.

   3. General congregation and visitors, led by the SIRT and ushers, using all safe exits.

   4. Staff, worship and SIRT, after sweeps are done where safe, closing doors behind them.

Assembly Areas

Each campus has a primary and secondary Assembly Area, shown on the evacuation signage. Wardens keep people together, off roadways, and out of the building, and direct parents to the Kids Reunification Zone once it is authorised.

Account for everyone

Kids and Youth Leaders reconcile their rolls and report any missing child to the IC and Police at once. The Welcome Team Leader reconciles congregation numbers by head count. Team Leaders account for their volunteers. Every discrepancy goes to Emergency Services as soon as possible.

Fire

In addition to the Evacuation Procedure:

• Raise the alarm ("FIRE, FIRE") and operate the alarm point if there is one. Call 000.

• Only attempt to extinguish if you are trained, the fire is small and contained, and your escape path is clear. If in doubt, get out and close doors behind you.

• Stay low in smoke. Do not open hot doors. Never use lifts.

• Do not re-enter until Fire Services give the all clear. The Safety Officer then reviews the incident.This section is the core evacuation procedure for any life-safety emergency (fire, smoke, gas, structural issue, etc.).

Medical Emergency

• Check for danger to yourself and others, then call for a First Aid Officer.

• Call 000 for anything serious: chest pain, breathing difficulty, unconsciousness, serious bleeding, suspected spinal injury, seizures, anaphylaxis.

• Give first aid only within your training. Do not move the person unless it is needed to prevent further harm.

• Send someone to meet the ambulance at the entrance and guide it in.

• Partially or fully evacuate if the incident itself creates a safety risk (for example, a chemical exposure or a large blood spill in a high-traffic area).

Security and Threat Incidents

Read this section alongside the Centrepoint Active Threat Manual, which carries the full detail.

SIRT response method
Calm, Divert, Shield, Guard.

• One member engages the individual calmly and respectfully to de-escalate and redirect.

• Other members position themselves to protect the pastor, congregation and nearby attendees.

• Where it is safe, the team guides the individual towards an exit or a designated safe area so the service can continue with minimal disruption.

• If the threat escalates, the team shields: it creates a buffer between the individual and the pastor or congregation, and moves the individual to a controlled space or outside.

• The Team Leader or a designated member k to the individual throughout.

• The directions of the Senior Pastor and Campus Pastor are followed at all times.

Suspicious or threatening person

• Keep a safe distance. Do not confront aggressively or block exits, and keep your own path to an exit clear.

• Note appearance, behaviour and direction of movement.

• Tell the IC, Campus Pastor or SIRT. On a Sunday, pass it to the nearest volunteer who can reach an Area Warden.

• The IC decides whether to call Police (131 444, or 000 if urgent), evacuate, or lock down if the threat is outside and leaving is unsafe.

Suspicious package

Any unattended item, or one that looks out of place or tampered with.

• Do not touch or move it. Keep others away.

• Note its appearance, any smell, sounds or markings.

• Tell the IC, who calls 000 and follows Police instructions. Evacuate if Police direct it or the risk is high.

• Do not use radios or mobile phones right next to a suspected device, as Police may advise.

Active armed offender

Australian guidance for crowded places uses Escape, Hide, Tell.

• Escape if safe. Move away from the threat using any exit. Take others if they will come, but do not let them slow your escape.

• Hide if you cannot escape. Lock or barricade doors, turn off lights, silence phones. Stay low, out of sight, away from windows.

• Tell Police on 000 when safe: location, description, number of offenders, weapons seen, injuries.

The IC decides quickly between evacuation and lockdown, based on where the threat is and Police advice. Do not negotiate unless it is needed for immediate safety. When Police arrive, follow their instructions.

Bomb threat

Threats may come by phone, in person, email or note.

If by phone:

• Stay calm and keep the caller talking.

• Signal someone to call 000.

• Record the caller's exact words and the time.

• If you can, ask: where is the bomb, when will it explode, what does it look like, what will set it off, did you place it and why, where are you now, what is your name.

• Note the voice (sex, age, accent, tone) and any background noise.

If by email or note:

• Keep it. Do not delete or alter it.

• Tell the IC and call 000.

• Follow Police advice on evacuation and searching.

• Church members do not conduct bomb searches without Police guidance.

Building and Environmental Incidents

Severe weather (storm, wind, hail, extreme heat, flooding)

• Watch Bureau of Meteorology warnings and local alerts. If a gathering is cancelled, notify the congregation by the usual channels.

• During an event, stay inside and away from windows. Move to interior rooms or hallways in high wind or hail. Avoid electrical equipment in lightning if advised.

• Evacuate if the building is structurally compromised or flooding threatens interior areas.

Power outage

• Stay calm. Do not enter or use lifts.

• Use torches or emergency lighting. Turn off and unplug sensitive equipment (sound desk, computers) so it is not damaged when power returns.

• If emergency lighting is not enough for safe exit, evacuate with wardens using torches.

Gas, odour or chemical

For a strong or unusual smell (gas, chemical, burning), or a chemical spill or unknown substance:

• Alert people nearby and the IC. Avoid the area.

• If you suspect gas, do not operate electrical switches. Evacuate the immediate area.

• The IC calls 000 (Fire) and follows their advice. Move to full building evacuation if directed or if the risk is obvious.

• For a chemical you can identify and it is safe to check, refer to the Safety Data Sheet (SDS).

For anyone exposed: remove contaminated clothing if appropriate, flush skin or eyes with clean water for at least 15 minutes, and call 000 for any significant exposure or breathing difficulty.

Water leak or flooding

• Tell the IC or the Facilities contact. Keep away from electrical equipment near water.

• Evacuate affected areas if water threatens exits or structural safety.

• For significant flooding affecting safety, call SES on 132 500, or 000 if life is at risk.

External Agencies and Venues

Centrepoint cooperates fully with WA Police, DFES, Ambulance and SES, and provides building plans, Assembly Area locations and this plan on request.