Family emergency plan: how to make one in an evening

A family emergency plan is a short written record of decisions made in advance: how you will contact each other, including one out-of-area contact, where you will meet if you cannot get home, who collects the children, who helps anyone who needs extra support, what happens to pets, and how you will leave if told to evacuate. Write it on paper, give everyone a copy, and practise it twice a year. You can put one together in an evening.

Emergencies rarely start when everyone is at home. The children are at school, someone is at work, and the phones do not connect. A plan means nobody has to invent the answers under stress.

1. Write down the contacts, on paper

Phones run flat and get lost. The UK government suggests a written list of important numbers kept where you can find it. On a card in every wallet and every go-bag, write:

every household member’s number,
an out-of-area contact (see below),
school, nursery, workplaces, your doctor,
a neighbour who can check your home or help a relative,
the emergency number (112 in Europe, 911 in North America, 999 in the UK).

Give younger children a card with a caregiver’s contact details, as the Polish government guide recommends.

Also set up ICE (In Case of Emergency) or Medical ID on each phone. The UK government recommends it, so anyone helping you can find who to call and what medical conditions you have. On most phones, Medical ID can be set to show on the lock screen.

Why an out-of-area contact

Pick one person who lives outside your area, ideally in another region. The American Red Cross explains that when local lines are overloaded, long-distance calls or texts often get through. Everyone in the family sends their news to that person, who passes it on. The Red Cross suggests everyone carries this number in writing and saves it in their phone.

2. Agree on meeting places

The Red Cross suggests two places: one right outside your home for sudden danger like a fire, and one outside your neighbourhood for when you cannot get home or must evacuate. A third, out of town, helps if the whole area is evacuated.

Level	Where	When
By the house	a street corner, a neighbour’s gate	sudden fire, leaving the building
In the neighbourhood	a library, a school, a friend’s house	you cannot get back home
Out of town	relatives or friends elsewhere	the whole area is evacuated

The UK government advises choosing a meeting point that is easy to find and open to the public. Agree on a check-in rule too, such as: if there is no contact, everyone checks messages on the hour.

3. Split the jobs

Who grabs the bags, who takes documents and medication, who handles the pets, who collects the children. One sentence per person is enough. Write down who covers each job when that person is away.

The Red Cross also reminds families to plan for members who often travel, study away or work shifts: decide how the plan changes when they are home and when they are not.

4. Children at school or nursery

Make sure every school, nursery and club has your current phone numbers, as the UK government and the Red Cross advise.
Ask the school what its emergency procedure is: where children go if the building is evacuated and how parents will be told.
Decide who collects the children if you cannot, and tell the school that this person is authorised.
Agree with older children what to do if they are on their way home: go to the neighbourhood meeting place, or stay at school.
Put their contact card in their school bag.

5. People who need extra help

Older relatives, people with disabilities, people who rely on medical equipment and small children need the most planning. The Red Cross booklet for people with disabilities suggests:

A support network: at least three people for each place the person regularly spends time (home, work, school), because one person is not always available. Choose people who can get there within minutes.
More than one check-in: arrange for more than one person to check on them, so there is a backup.
Power for medical equipment: know how long the backup supply lasts and how to start it. Keep a manual wheelchair if the person uses an electric one.
Written information: medicines and doses, equipment make and model, and how to communicate with them. Laminated instructions on equipment help helpers.
Communication: if a person cannot hear alerts or use the radio, arrange for someone to pass on warnings. Practise short, clear instructions for rescuers.

The UK government suggests agreeing a backup plan with anyone who needs extra support, and arranging for neighbours to check on them. In the UK, the Priority Services Register gives extra support during supply interruptions. The Red Cross also advises anyone who relies on electrically powered equipment to register with their local utility company. For blackout-specific planning, see blackout preparedness.

6. Pets

The Government of Canada says the best way to protect animals is to take them with you. Most evacuation shelters accept only service animals, so plan alternatives before you need them:

list pet-friendly hotels, boarding kennels, vets and friends or family who could take your animals,
keep ID on your pet at all times, and consider a microchip,
keep a pet file with a recent photo, vaccination records and your vet’s number,
pack a pet kit with food and water for at least 72 hours (see our go-bag checklist),
include the pets in your practice drill.

The Red Cross puts it simply: if it is not safe for you to stay, it is not safe for your pets.

7. Plan your routes

Two ways out of your home.
Two routes out of town in case one road is blocked.
A printed local map in the go-bag: navigation apps may not work.
No car? Know where the nearest official assembly point is and how you would get there on foot.

8. Know your shut-offs

The UK government advises knowing how to turn off your gas, electricity and water. Find the main stopcock, the fuse box and the gas valve now, show the other adults, and keep any tool you need next to them.

9. When the authorities order an evacuation

Following the Polish government’s Safety Guide:

Close the windows, turn off the water, switch off electrical and gas appliances.
Dress for the weather.
Take your go-bag.
Check whether neighbours need help.
Use the transport the authorities organise, or walk to the designated area.
Tell your family which way you are going and where.
Never hand your documents to strangers offering help.

Follow official instructions on the radio, TV and your national alert app.

10. Communication when networks are overloaded

Text, do not call. The FCC and FEMA advise limiting non-emergency calls to keep networks free and save battery.
Wait about 10 seconds before redialling a call that does not connect.
Send one message to your out-of-area contact: “I’m at X, I’m OK, heading to Y.”
Turn on battery saver.
Make sure everyone, including older relatives, knows how to send a text.

The plan only works if everyone has it. Put the decisions on one page:

Section	What to write
Contacts	each person’s number, out-of-area contact, school, work, doctor, neighbour
Meeting places	outside the home, in the neighbourhood, out of town
Jobs	who takes bags, documents, medication, pets, children
Children	who collects them, school procedure
Extra support	who checks on whom, medical equipment, medicines
Routes	two ways out of the home, two out of town
Shut-offs	where the water, gas and electricity switches are

Keep a copy with your important documents, as the UK government suggests, one in each go-bag and a photo on each phone. The Government of Canada lists the emergency plan among the papers to keep in your kit.

12. Practise twice a year

A plan nobody has practised disappears under stress. The Red Cross recommends practising evacuating your home twice a year: grab your kit, drive or walk your planned route and look at alternative routes in case roads are blocked. Do a five-minute drill with everyone and their bags, then go to the first meeting place. Check the bags and update phone numbers while you are at it, and use the same dates to check your water and food supply.

FAQ

What should a family emergency plan include?

A written contact list including an out-of-town contact, meeting places near home and outside your town, escape routes, who does what, and who picks up the children from school.

What should I do when an evacuation is ordered?

The Polish government guide says: close the windows, turn off the water, switch off electrical and gas appliances, dress for the weather, take your go-bag, check on neighbours and tell your family where you are going.

How do I reach my family when phone networks are overloaded?

Text instead of calling. The FCC and FEMA advise limiting non-emergency calls; a text is more likely to get through on a busy network and uses less battery.

Why choose an out-of-area emergency contact?

When local lines are overloaded, long-distance calls or texts often get through, as the American Red Cross notes. One person outside the area can collect news from everyone and pass it on.

How often should a family practise its emergency plan?

The American Red Cross recommends practising evacuating your home twice a year: grab your kit, follow your planned route and check alternative routes in case roads are blocked.

What is ICE on a phone?

ICE stands for In Case of Emergency. The UK government suggests adding emergency contacts and medical information to your phone, often called ICE or Medical ID, so the people helping you can find who to call and any medical conditions.

Sources

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This guide is educational. In an emergency, follow official alerts and first responders.