Quench the Burn!

Responding to Fire.

An article based on the training course “Arson and Fire Safety v4” and the Church Security Guide article “Fire Safety in the Church” [1,2,3].

From the Bible –

Where no wood is, there the fire goes out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceases (Proverbs 26:20).

And the people cried unto Moses; and when Moses prayed unto the Lord, the fire was quenched (Numbers 11:2).

Introduction -

A Scenario:

Your Safety Team assignment this Sunday is in the Worship Center. As the congregation is singing a song, you hear a noise in the radio earpiece, then the voice of Tom Smith, another team member: “Code Red. Fellowship Hall. Evacuate.” James Booker on patrol outside and Bill Dundee in the Children’s Department hallway hear the same message. What will each of you do?

Not always during services:

Most church fires begin when there are no services, classes, or events, but some do start at those times or during office hours. One or more Safety Team members may be there during off hours, but that is usually unlikely. What you should and can do if there is a fire depends on who is there, what’s going on, and where you are. It also depends on where in the church the fire is.

On the Web –

Ankeny, Iowa, September 16, 2025 – During construction work on a church, a welder ignited a fire in an exterior wall. An adjoining day care center was evacuated. Firefighters responding to a 911 call controlled the fire in half an hour and finished cleanup in less than 90 minutes [4].

* Note: This demonstrates

1. The value of immediately alerting the fire department when a fire starts,
2. The importance of evacuating people from the scene of a fire.

On the other hand, it underscores the fire hazards of certain construction methods, such as welding.

Colorado Springs, Colorado, September 12, 2025 – An electrical fire in a second-floor office of a church started in a computer. It triggered the sprinklers. The waterflow sensor sent an alert to the fire department. The fire was essentially out by the time firefighters located it [5,6].

* Note: Three takeaways:

1. Sprinklers can keep fires small.
2. Closed doors contain fires.
3. Automatic sensor alarms can bring firefighters in a shorter time than people seeing smoke and calling 911.

Centerville, OHIO, April 14, 2025 – Someone reported a late afternoon fire in the educational building of a church in a semi-rural area on the edge of town. There was extensive damage, but the church was able to repair and reopen the building [7,8].

* Note: If smoke alarms and fire sensors had sent alerts to the fire department, there might have been less damage.

Kelowna, British Columbia, July 11, 2012 – On a Wednesday evening, people saw thick smoke coming from the roof of a church and called the fire department. When firefighters arrived, they saw the smoke located at one part of the roof. It was from an overheated fan. Power to the fan was cut off and the fire put out. This confined damage to the vicinity of the fan [9].

* Note: Two takeaways:

1. The first move in an electrical device fire is to cut off the power.
2. Automatic sensor alarms would have notified the fire department even if no one saw the smoke.

ACS Fire & Security, June 12, 2024 – In an online article, “Understanding Fire Safety in Churches, Temples, Mosques, and Synagogues,” ACS Fire & Security posted advice on ensuring the safety of congregants in places of worship. These recommendations are based on standards set by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). This includes

1. Defining Assembly Occupancies,
2. Calculating Occupant Load,
3. Life Safety Evaluations,
4. Means of Egress (how to evacuate),
5. Testing and Maintenance of fire safety equipment and systems.

The first two items enable planning based on the maximum number of people who could be in attendance. The fourth point is planning and maintaining evacuation routes and exits. The last item is keeping fire alarms, sprinklers, and fire extinguishers operable.

In the Summary, they say, “Protecting houses of worship from fire hazards requires meticulous planning, adherence to regulations, and ongoing vigilance” [10].

Smart Church Solutions, May 16, 2024 – The advice of Smart Church Solutions is to hire licensed professionals to inspect the church’s fire extinguishers [11].

Quick Response Fire Supply, September 2020 – A blog post of Quick Response Fire Supply has a fire safety checklist for places of worship. These are based on the requirements in five of the NFPA codes and standards:

• § NFPA 101: Life Safety Code.
• § NFPA 25: Standard for the Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems.
• § NFPA 96: Standard for Ventilation Control and Fire Protection of Commercial Cooking Operations.
• § NFPA 72: National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code®.
• § NFPA 10: Standard for Portable Fire Extinguishers [12].

Responding to a Fire –

The acronym for fire response is RACE:

• Rescue – If anyone is in danger, rescue them and get them to safety. Saving lives is the primary responsibility.
• Alarm – Alert others.
• Confine – Keep the fire from spreading.
• Extinguish – Put it out.

Continuing the Scenario:

There are four members of the church safety team in the scenario above, and each has a different role in responding to the fire.

Tom is closest to the fire. Margaret Brady is in the fellowship hall. She freezes in panic, so he guides her to safety (Rescue).

Then he alerts the other team members to the fire (Alarm). One of them will call 911. If sprinklers are activated and waterflow sensors have alarms, the fire department is already alerted, but we call them anyway.

Now Tom will try to stop the fire from spreading (Contain) and possibly to put it out (Extinguish). Since he has called for evacuation, his best move appears to be containment by closing any open windows he can safely reach and closing the doors, then getting himself to a safe distance. He will stay in touch with others, keeping them up-to-date.

Since you are in the sanctuary, you let the person in charge on the platform know of the fire, then call for evacuating the room. The ushers are trained in guiding the persons in each section of the worship center to their designated exit.

James, who is outside, is ready to help evacuees get to the reassembly area. He keeps them from driving their vehicles out until firefighters, EMTs, and law enforcement arrive. With evacuees staying on the grounds, we can check to see if anyone is missing. This also keeps the driveway clear. James is also ready to meet first responders and tell them how to get to the fire. The good news is that they have gone through the church before and already know its layout.

Bill guides each class and the children’s church in exiting, beginning with the room closest to the exit. They go out in order. He makes sure no one is left in any of the classrooms. He also checks the restrooms and the broom room before exiting himself.

Responding Decently and in Order:

What we see in the scenario is that the response to a fire during the service was “done decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:40). That is the result of planning, training, drilling, and equipping.

Planning,

Planning for Evacuation – On a floor plan, plot evacuation routes for each space in the church.

• Avoid bottlenecks. You may have to adjust the route and exit assignments a few times before finalizing the plan.
• Have more than one exit for the sanctuary/worship center. The more persons the place can hold, the more exits you’ll need.
• Plot alternative routes in case the initial routes can’t be used.
• Make needed changes to passageways and doors to facilitate evacuations.

Planning for Alarms – The church needs fire alarms to warn people inside and outside of a fire.

• Have fire alarms in the church. They should be dual mode: sound and light.
• The sound should be distinctive, not the same as the Sunday School bell/buzzer.
• Also, it should have strobe lights to alert persons who are deaf or very hard of hearing.
• Equip the safety team with two-way radios. Also have radios on a side-channel for greeters and ushers so they can be alerted to an emergency and report any problems. Have two-way intercoms or radio receivers on a communication system in each classroom and meeting area so those people can be informed of emergencies.
• Have sensors to activate fire alarms and alert the fire department. These can be the sensors that trigger the sprinklers, waterflow sensors, smoke sensors, excess-heat sensors, etc.
• Have fire alarm boxes strategically placed in the church.

Planning for Suppression – Plan and provide means to suppress a fire.

• The best solution is automatic fire suppression systems. This means sprinklers all through the church. Add Class K fire suppression for cooking appliances in the kitchen. Install Class C suppressors where electrical equipment is. Some furnace rooms may need Class B suppressors if it is oil heat.
• Place fire extinguishers where they may be needed.
• Use fire blankets to smother small fires or burning clothing.

Planning for Containment – The church building should be designed with fire containment in mind.

• Fire doors at the ends of hallways and on stairwells with heat-triggered releases let door springs close them.
• Install room doors that have a preferred burn-through resistance rating (not lanai doors).
• Make all windows easy to quickly close and latch.
• Have walls with the preferred level of fire resistance.
• Have firewalls in the attics.
• Use firestops where utilities go through walls and ceilings.

Training,

Training the Safety Team – Have all safety team members take the “Arson and Fire Safety” course.

• Add training in the local church’s fire safety policies and procedures.
• Invite members of the local fire department to teach fire safety.
• Include fire-safety walk-throughs in the training.

Training Auxiliaries (Greeters and Ushers) – Include greeters and ushers in fire safety training.

• Emphasize their roles in fire safety.

Training Teachers and Church Leaders – Teachers, group leaders, and activity leaders are trained in

• Fire prevention in their ministry locations,
• Evacuation routes from their ministry locations,
• Managing their students/group members/participants in evacuation and re-assembly.

Train Everyone in Fire Extinguisher Use – A fire extinguisher is only as effective as the way it’s used.

• The ideal time to train people in fire extinguisher use is when they are to be re-charged.
• Hold the training outdoors on a non-combustible surface at a safe distance from combustibles.
• Training includes practicing using the extinguisher on a real fire.
• The trainer is experienced in using fire extinguishers (at least in practice).

Drilling,

An important key to proficiency is practice. A drill is practicing a procedure or a part of it. This creates mental and muscle memories. There are a few drills which are needed for responding to a fire.

• Evacuation is the basic life-saving exercise of fire safety. That is why when we say “fire drill” we usually mean an evacuation drill. There are a number of evacuation drills to conduct:
• Whole church drill – plan, schedule, and hold this during a service. The fact that there will be a drill during the service is announced ahead of time so that there is no panic when the fire alarm sounds.
• Children, youth, and other group activities drill – hold this during Sunday School, mid-week Bible Club, Seniors Fellowship, etc. This is evacuation from classrooms and/or activity areas.
• If the church has a daycare center or school, that ministry should have an evacuation drill during the week.
• Another fire safety drill is the fire emergency response drill when safety team members practice the roles they will play, depending on where they are during a fire. The goal is that wherever a team member is when “Code Red” is called, that team member knows what to do. The intent of the scenario was to illustrate this point. The drill should also include helping those who are injured or mobility challenged. At the re-union area include medical response during an evacuation, which could be a challenging setting for practicing CPR, First Aid, and AED use.

Equipping,

This really is rather basic:

• Communication equipment:
• Two-way radios,
• Intercoms or radios in rooms.
• Fire Alarms,
• Lighted exit signs,
• Emergency lights for when the power goes out,
• Fire blankets,
• First Aid supplies for burns,
• Emergency medical response supplies:
• Personal,
• Team,
• Fire extinguishers,
• Mobility aids.

There are more items which may be used in a fire emergency.

Conclusion –

Keep people safe in case of fire. Be ready to effectively respond to “Code Red.”

References –

1. Kris Moloney, "Arson and Fire Safety v4," Sheepdog Church Security, 2020 [https://sheepdog-church-security.thinkific.com/collections/courses?page=2].
2. Kris Moloney, "Church Security Guide," Sheepdog Church Security, 2018, 2023 [https://sheepdog-church-security.thinkific.com/pages/security-articles?c=church-security-guide] and [https://sheepdogchurchsecurity.net/church-security-guide/].
3. Kris Moloney, "Fire Safety in the Church," Sheepdog Church Security, June 9, 2023 [https://sheepdog-church-security.thinkific.com/pages/security-articles?p=fire-safety-in-the-church] and [https://sheepdogchurchsecurity.net/fire-safety-and-evacuations].
4. Kelly Maricle, “Construction sparks fire at Ankeny church,” WHO, Sep 16, 2025
5. Eric Carter, “Building Update,” Rocky Mountain Calvary Chapel, September 13, 2025 [https://www.facebook.com/rockymountaincalvary/photos/good-morning-church-as-some-of-you-may-have-already-heard-we-had-a-fire-in-the-c/836079479081257/].
6. Source: Colorado Springs Fire and EMS (transcript of fire department radio), “Fire controlled quickly at Rocky Mountain Calvary Church, Colorado Springs CO,” CrimeRadar, September 13, 2025 [https://www.crimeradar.us/colorado-springs-co/34_1757731984_ujzzeaej-fire-controlled-quickly-at-rocky-mountain-calvary-church].
7. Carlos Mathis, “Fire extinguished at church in Washington Township,” WDTN 2 News, April 14, 2025 [https://www.wdtn.com/news/local-news/fire-extinguished-at-church-in-washington-township/].
8. WHIO Staff, “Firefighters extinguish fire at church in Montgomery County,” WHIO, April 14, 2025 [https://www.whio.com/news/local/firefighters-battling-fire-church-montgomery-county/OPFM3MYAANDIRPIDRITRSGI3HM/].
9. CHBC News, “Kelowna church fire extinguished,” Global News, July 12, 2012 [https://globalnews.ca/news/265624/kelowna-church-fire-extinguished/].
10. Media Team, “Understanding Fire Safety in Churches, Temples, Mosques, and Synagogues,” ACS Fire & Security, June 12, 2024 [https://www.thinkacs.com/understanding-fire-safety-in-churches-temples-mosques-and-synagogues/].
11. Patrick Hart, “Essential Guide to Fire Extinguisher Inspections in Churches,” Smart Church Solutions, May 16, 2024 [https://www.smartchurchsolutions.com/resources/blog/essential-guide-to-fire-extinguisher-inspection-in-churches/].
12. Blog Writer, “House of Worship Fire Safety Checklist,” Quick Response Fire Supply, September 2020 [https://blog.qrfs.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/QRFS-House-of-Worship-Fire-Safety-Checklist.pdf].