How to Make a Family Emergency Plan

In a crisis, phone networks overload, roads close and families are often apart — at work, school or travelling. A simple written plan prevents panic and lost time.

1. Know your local numbers. Make sure everyone, including children, knows your country's emergency number and how to call it from a locked phone.
2. Choose an out-of-area contact. Local lines may be jammed while long-distance calls and text messages still work. Everyone checks in with the same person.
3. Pick two meeting places: one just outside your home (for fires) and one outside your neighbourhood (if you can't return home).
4. Map evacuation routes from home, work and school, with at least two ways out.
5. Assign roles: who grabs the go-bag, who collects children, who checks on an elderly neighbour, who is responsible for pets.
6. Record medical needs and keep an ICE card in every wallet and backpack.
7. Learn your school and workplace plans — where children will be taken and how you'll be notified.
8. Practise twice a year: a fire drill and an evacuation drill. Time it.

Last reviewed October 22, 2026 against current public guidance from national resuscitation councils and Red Cross / Red Crescent first-aid manuals. General education only — not a substitute for certified training or professional medical advice. Medical disclaimer · Suggest a correction