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2020 Hostile Event Preparedness Workshops – What Did We Learn?
When the Faith-Based Information Sharing and Analysis Organizations was stood up in June of 2018, we had many plans for how we can meet the mission of providing members with information, analysis, and capabilities to help reduce risk while enhancing preparedness, security, and resilience.
Hostile Event Preparedness Discussion-Based Workshops was at the fore-front of those plans. It took some time to get there! In the early fall of 2019, the Faith-Based Information Sharing and Analysis Organization (FB-ISAO) announced the start of a planning processes for a 2020 Workshop Series focusing on Hostile Events Preparedness. Collaboration with U.S. Government partners, state and local government, and law enforcement partners from around the United States formally starting in July 2019.
The 2020 Hostile Event Preparedness (HEPS) Workshop Series provided a forum for faith-based and charity organizations to enhance their threat awareness and preparedness relating to potential physical attacks at their facilities. The use of a hostile events scenario was used to provide participants an opportunity to interact with one another through a facilitated discussion, and to identify best practices, opportunities for improvement, and salient points of concern. The workshop objectives are:
- Use a hostile events scenario to provide participants an opportunity to interact with one another and discuss issues, concerns, best practices and other salient points regarding physical security preparedness, coordination and response (these exercises will not focus on recovery) among participants to help inform organizational preparedness, security & resilience.
- Use a hostile events scenario to provide participants with greater awareness of USG and local government resources, guidance and best practices relating to hostile events and physical security to help inform organizational preparedness, security & resilience.
- Provide feedback to members and the broader faith-based and charity community on best practices, preparedness gaps, and opportunities for improvement identified through the exercise series within 60 of the final workshop to help inform organizational and community security preparedness.
After months of development, the first workshop was conducted in Orlando, Florida on 19 February 2020. Additional in-person workshops were scheduled for both Virginia and Wisconsin with intent on performing others with Faith Based Organizations in other locals around the country. However, impacts associated with the COVID-19 pandemic regrettably altered workshop scheduling.
The Virginia workshops were conducted virtually in October 2020. After each workshop, participants complete a survey to provide feedback on their experience.
Great mix of topics, great discussion, great inclusion of several different specific resources.
Overall, great experience. Very well presented!
Excellent, excellent, excellent. In contrast with other groups in this workspace, you consistently excel.
Some of the findings from the 2020 workshops included:
- The overwhelming concern is the cost associated with preparedness and prioritization of security. Most FBOs have limited resources. Harnessing cost savings from expertise within a congregation, grants, and community engagement with Law Enforcement, other FBOs, security groups and FB-ISAO were shown to help contain these costs by using these resources to identify threats and seek appropriate best practices.
- There is a continued need for improvement on information sharing and collaboration across FBO’s, law enforcement, and sharing networks. Building relationships for timely distribution of critical information to help identify and mitigate hostile threats was deemed paramount.
- The determination for congregational concealed weapon carry continues to be challenging. Rules of engagement, state laws, and emphasis on required and realistic training make decision-making by senior leadership all the more difficult.
Our workshops will continue into 2021. The team is working closely with our partners at the Pennsylvania Department of Homeland Security and the three Pennsylvania Fusion Centers to deliver workshops across Pennsylvania during April and June. Fusion Centers are state-owned and operated centers that serve as focal points in states and major urban areas for the receipt, analysis, gathering and sharing of threat-related information between State, Local, Tribal and Territorial (SLTT), federal and private sector partners. To register for the workshops, please visit our events page.
The 2020 Hostile Events Preparedness (HEPS) Workshop Exercise Series Findings Brief can be accessed here.
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