COLUMBUS (AP) — Ohio officials have developed a free, online toolkit to help houses of worship discuss and prepare for how they would respond if they were attacked.
Ohio EMA's Houses of Worship: Targeted Disruption Tabletop Exercise Toolkit offers a free product for houses of worship to better prepare staff, worshipers, first responders and other partners to plan for, and respond to, active aggressor incidents. https://t.co/deI3PAuJUH pic.twitter.com/vWGzMpBdUv
— Ohio Emergency Management Agency (@Ohio_EMA) January 2, 2020
The announcement this week came days after a man fatally shot two people at a Texas church and was killed by a member of its security team.
The director of the Ohio Emergency Management Agency says the toolkit provides guidance for tabletop preparedness exercises that can be used for congregations of various sizes, from large synagogues to small, rural churches.
Gov. Mike DeWine says attacks on houses of worship appear to be escalating, and they must be prepared.