Protecting Your Family

There are many things that individuals and families (and, of course, shared households) can do to prepare to deal with an emergency:

Find out about emergency plans in your work place and other premises close to your home.
See if they may have implications for you or your family.
Find out about emergency plans in your children's schools and confirm how you will be reunited with your children at school.

Have you got a Family or Home Emergency Plan? You can cope with an emergency or disaster by preparing in advance and working with families, friends and neighbours. Consider including the following in your Family or Home Emergency Plan, many of which are simple everyday or common sense approaches that are even more important in emergencies:

Keep emergency telephone numbers by your telephone and in your wallet/purse.
Teach your children how and when to call the emergency services (999).
Install smoke detectors at suitable locations throughout your house, especially near bedrooms.
Make sure everyone knows how to get out in the event of a fire
Identify an emergency evacuation route in case the front or back doors cannot be used.
Make sure everyone knows how to turn off gas, electricity and water supplies.
Undertake a home risk assessment including garage and shed. Ensure the removal of potential hazards e.g. faulty electrical equipment, poorly labelled weed killer, acetylene gas cylinders.
Check that your insurance cover is adequate for your family, home and any contents. Keep brief details of your insurance and company telephone numbers with your contact list.
Identify several places to meet if an emergency occurs: first, immediately close to your home in the case of a localised incident; second, two specific locations away from your neighbourhood in the event a major evacuation has been implemented. Identifying two locations enables you to select friends or family members in different areas with an option should one be away on holiday or business.