Help us to help you be better prepared for an emergency
Emergency events that could affect you, your family or home include:
- Fire
- Loss of power or water
- Weather related incidents such as flooding, storms or heatwaves
- Infectious disease, such as flu pandemic.
Simple things you can do:
- Regularly check smoke alarms – test weekly and have a plan of action so that you and everyone in your household know what to do in the event of a fire
- If you are in a flood risk area, register with the Environment Agency to receive flood alerts
- Make sure that you have adequate home contents insurance
- Save ICE (in case of emergency) contact in your mobile phone. Type the word ‘ICE’ before the name, eg ICE Mum. The emergency services are trained to check for the ICE number
- Keep a paper copy of important telephone contacts (eg family members, insurance company, doctor, school etc) at home and ensure that all members of your household know where it is kept
- Keep a small stock of non-perishable food and drink, to use in the event of bad weather
- Prepare a household emergency plan and make sure that all members of your household know about it
- Consider attending a first aid course
- Keep a basic first aid kit in your home and car
- Check that you know how to tune into local radio stations. During an emergency normal programmes will be interrupted with warnings and advice messages
- Be a good neighbour – in an emergency vulnerable and elderly neighbours may need reassurance or assistance
To prepare a household emergency plan:
- Think about the potential risks in your home, neighbourhood and lifestyle
- Ensure that you know how to turn off gas, water and electricity supplies to your home
- Agree how members of your household will stay in touch in an emergency
- Identify a trusted friend or family member who could help you in an emergency. This person could help you in a number of ways – collect medication for you, provide you and/or your pets with somewhere to stay if you have to be evacuated from your home, hold a spare set of house keys in case you get locked out
- Put together an emergency kit. Think about what items you might need in an emergency - such as a battery operated or wind- up radio, battery operated or wind-up torch, details of prescription medication, spare batteries etc.
