What causes fires in worship centers?

Arson is the leading cause of fires at worship centers. A fire may be deliberately set for many reasons, however vandalism and covering up crimes, such as theft, are common reasons that fires are set in worship centers. Faulty wiring is the second most common cause of fires at worship centers. Extension cords are a major culprit for church fires.Other common causes of fires at worship centers are faulty lighting, malfunctioning furnaces, cooking equipment and careless use of candles and  decorations.

Prevention and inspections are the best ways to combat fires in worship centers. EWM can assist your church by providing inspections, risk assesments and education to prevent fires. We can also assist by providing risk assesments and recomendations to prevent vandalsism and arson.

What happens when a fire occurs in your worship center?

Life changes immediately after a fire in a worship center. There are many items that will need to be dealt with immediately and in a timely manner. The media will be involved right away, fire authorities, investigators, insurance adjusters, parishoners, the community and many others will have questions and you will have many items to deal with right away. How you deal with these issues will reflect how quickly your worship center will return to normal.

We can establish an incident management plan that will help the leadership respond to the needs of the parishoners and the response to the event.

Eagle Watch Founder Hal Lowder, is very familiar with the immediate response to worship center/church fires. Hal has been a Certified Fire Investigator, a Certified Fire & Explosion Investigator,a Bombing Crime Scene Investigator an has been called upon to investigate church fires and assist churches return to their normal routines. Hal has provided expert testimony in criminal and civil cases and has consulted as an expert with local and national television, print and other media. Hal has also responded to church fires and assisted the churches as a liason between governmental authorities, insurance investigators and adjusters and help prepare media responses for churches. Sometimes inadvertantly you can fall through the cracks and may not be "in the loop" when it comes to your church fire. We can assist by guiding you through the process and ensuring you are kept informed during this time of crisis. We also know how important continuity of services are to your church and the community. Many churches that we have dealt with like to conduct an immediate service on the property. We can assist by helping you locate portable PA equipment,tents, chairs, generators and items to show continuity of service by preparing for your next service. We are also have trained Public Information Officers that can help your leadership respond to the media. (learn the one phrase that must NEVER be used with the media)

Eagle Watch Ministries can assist your church through prevention, education and risk assesments before a fire breaks out. After a fire, we can help provide service continuity and assist with your response to the event.

For more information about Church / Worship Center Fire Prevention and Response, contact Hal Lowder, Jr. 770-287-7694 or eaglewatch@bellsouth.net