Desired Capabilities:
Primary objective is to be able to monitor the property while the building is occupied during church services. Our security guy MUST be able to monitor camera feeds from an iPad or other tablet.
G'day Ken and welcome to the forums.Bloody Active Shooters. Ken I've said it before and I'll say it again. Cameras are one part of the overall security effort. One of the simplest things that will protect the flock in the event of an active shooter is not a camera, but a physical barrier which will prevent access to the facility, and prevent them seeing the people inside. That may be as simple as a couple of throw bolts on the doors and some drapes. Given JC was a chippy you will probably have at least on in the congregation and I'm sure someone will be able to sew.
Cameras are nice but they are far down on the list of things you should have. Lots of fire extinguishers/ a fire sprinkler system is a really important security measure. It's no good locking the bad guy(s) outside if they just set fire to the building with everyone in it. First aid kits and by that I mean gunshot trauma kits, not a couple of band aids. Tourniquets, chest seals, quickclot gauze, trauma pads, space blankets, collapsible litters, and an automatic external defibrillator. If you have nurses, doctors or paramedics in the flock you can add in more advanced equipment.
Plan, plan, plan, plan a little more, and conduct training, lots of training. Know how to use the fire extinguishers and first aid kits. Have an evacuation plan for fire. I see you have several disabled parking spots. What's the plan to evacuate them in a fire? Have a plan on how you are going to conduct your lock down. Give people specific taskings every week to avoid the bystander effect. Whose job is it to call the Police? How are you calling the police? Land line? Mobile? Panic alarm back to a security company? What is your local law enforcement's worse case scenario for response time? Do you plan to liaise with them so that your measures, and what they plan to do will tie in. Do you plan to drill together? Once the bad guy is dead how do you intend to triage and evacuate the wounded? Where are your medical facilities and what capacity do they have? Have you identified a landing zone for a medivac helicopter? Are you in a small town? Will you need to transport some of the wounded yourself? Will the weather affect how you do things?
If you have any concealed carry types in the congregation put a leash on them. Good guys with guns look just like bad guys with guns to responding law enforcement. They may have a role to play should your offender want to try his luck kicking in the door but don't let them play hero and run around trying to start a firefight. Once again plan and train their role into your overall solution. This is by no means an extensive list, and your level of preparation will reflect your individual circumstances.
The cameras will help you see the bad guy when he is coming, but if that ever happens make sure you have a plan to deal with it.
