There are many ways for you to minimize the threat of fire at your church, school, or child care center. You should know the major causes for a fire are: arson, faulty wiring, inadequate wiring, lightning, faulty furnaces or stoves, overheated organ motors, and careless use of candles and holiday decorations. You can perform simple measures to reduce the risks of these things happening.

The Church Mutual Insurance Company gives these guidelines:

To reduce arson:

• Maintain adequate exterior lighting to eliminate hiding places.
• Use motion detection lights to alert neighbors of activity.
• Put interior lighting on sequential timers to give the impression of occupancy and activity.
• Trim or remove shrubs that block the view of possible entries to your building.
• Trim tree branches that might allow second story access.
• Ladders offer easy access to your roof. Store ladders properly.
• Install deadbolt locks with a minimum one-inch throw on all outside doors (if your building codes permit).
• Keep all doors (including interior offices and closets) locked when unattended.
• Install locks on all basement, ground floor, and second story windows.
• Make sure valuable items are not visible from the outside.
• Keep track of keys. Change locks periodically.
• Remove and secure gasoline and other fuel sources from inside and around your building.
• Request patrols by local police, especially if there has been arson activity in your community.
• Establish a neighborhood watch program. Notify law enforcement authorities of suspicious activity—do not confront suspects yourself.

Structural Problems:

• All exit doors should open outward with no locks or fasteners to prevent free escape from the inside of the building.
• Keep exits free of obstruction at all times.
• Make sure all exits are clearly marked with lighted signs.
• Have any remodeling, additions, or repairs inspected by the fire marshall for compliance with local fire codes.
• If your building is undergoing repairs, remodeling or painting, make sure workers are following fire safety procedures. Blowtorches, painters’ rags and roofers’ pots can be fire hazards.
• Have your furnace cleaned and professionally inspected once a year. Late summer or early fall is the best time—before the heating season.
• The walls and ceiling of the furnace room should be lined with fire-resistant material or be replaced with a UL-approved fire door.
• Keep the furnace room door closed at all times.

Housekeeping:

• Be careful with combustible decorations—especially around the holidays. Keep flimsy paper and cloth decorations away from light bulbs, wiring, and other sources of heat or flame.
• Make sure all upholstery, draperies, and furnishings are fire-retardant fabrics.
• Use candles in your services only when ritual prohibits any substitute. Otherwise, use safe candle-type light bulbs.
• If you have an organ, check frequently to make sure the motor is turned off. If left on, the motor can overheat or short out, causing a serious fire hazard.
• Clean up debris from social gatherings on the same day and place in proper receptacles outside of the building.
• Don’t use the heating room for storage of combustibles.
• Don’t keep any gasoline or gasoline-operated equipment on your premise, unless it is in a well-vented, fire-resistant enclosure.
• Keep kitchen ventilating hood filters clean and free of accumulated grease.
• Maintain the kitchen stove burners in good condition. They should ignite as soon as the gas is turned on.

Electrical:

• Check your fuse box to be sure you are using the proper size for each circuit and that circuits are identified on the fuse box cover.
• Inspect all electrical cords and extension cords now in use. Get rid of any frayed, cracked, or dried out cords.
• See that all junction boxes and switch boxes are properly covered.
• Check all major appliances—refrigerators, water coolers, stoves, air conditioners, etc.—for proper connections and grounding.
• Make sure all wall sockets and light switches are equipped with face plates.

Miscellaneous:

• Inspect your lightning rod system to make sure rods are properly in place. Wires should run unbroken to the ground, attached to ground rods sunk eight to ten feet into the ground.
• If your community permits burning, be careful when burning sticks, leaves, or grass.
• Don’t burn materials near your building or in the presence of hazardous conditions such as a severe dry spell or high winds.
• Make sure your roof is fire-retardant.
• Keep the grounds clean, free from piles of leaves or rubbish. Thus vandals have less fuel to start a fire.
• Remove birds’ nests from chimneys or steeples.
• Keep chimneys clean, free of soot and other obstructions.

These tips are reprinted from “Fire Safety at Your Worship Center” by permission of Church Mutual Insurance Company, www.churchmutual.com.