Your Home

You can help plan for an emergency by taking some simple steps and becoming more familiar with your home.

It is important that you learn some basics about you home so that if an emergency occurs you are in the best possible position to deal with it.

Ask yourself the following questions:

• How would you switch off your electric, gas and water supplies?
• What are the exit routes in and around your home?
• Are your important household documents stored in a safe fire proof container?
• Are you and other family members aware of the location of these documents if you needed to be evacuated?
• Are your insurance documents up-to-date and do you have sufficient cover for your home and contents?
• Do you have contact telephone numbers for family, friends and schools easily available if you had to leave your home?

During an emergency it is also useful to have the following items available so make sure that they are accessible and can be easily located by all family members during an emergency:

• First Aid Kit
• Torch and spare batteries
• Emergency contacts list and note book/pen & pencil
• A battery powered radio
• Bottled water in case the mains water is unavailable
• Warm clothing and blankets
• Supplies of ready to eat food