Page Sections: Develop a Personal Emergency Plan | Home Emergency Kit | What to do in an Emergency

Develop a Personal Emergency Plan

Prepare yourself and your property. Involve all the family and household members in planning.  Don’t forget to include babysitters and other household help.

Discuss the potential emergencies that may impact on your family.

• work out what you could do in each type of emergency and consider ways to protect your family.  Discuss all possible exit routes from each room, the building, and from your surrounding neighbourhood.  Keep hallways and exits clear
• make a record of your local emergency telephone numbers (eg SES, local council, gas, electricity, water, etc) and keep them near your phones.  Remember to dial 000 for Police, Fire and Ambulance
• involve your family and household members in advance by deciding how family members will stay in touch in the event of, or after, an emergency.  Agree on how you will contact each other if not at home, who will collect children from school, who will check on elderly or disabled neighbours
• organise an out of town person that your family can contact in case you are separated and make a list of that person’s contact details and provide them to your workplace or your children’s school
• ensure you have adequate household insurance
• store important documents safely (eg wills, passports, birth and marriage certificates, insurance policies, etc) incase of a fire in a water proof container or safe deposit box
• locate where and how to turn off water, gas and electricity supplies in your home
• learn some basic first aid
• find out about emergency plans, eg your children’s schools, your workplace, your apartment building
• prepare for the safety and welfare of your pets in an emergency.
• prepare an emergency kit and keep it handy
• review and practise your emergency plan
• test yourself by checking how well prepared you are by completing the below emergency plan checklist

Home Emergency Kit

Prepare an Emergency Kit and keep it handy.

• portable battery operated radio and spare batteries
• torch and spare batteries
• candles and waterproof matches
• first aid kit
• medications, toiletries (eg a roll of toilet paper) and sanitary supplies for family members
• special needs for infants, the aged and people with disabilities
• a mobile phone, spare battery and charger
• copies of important papers including emergency contact numbers and identification such as passport, driver’s licence and birth certificate
• contact details of your agreed out of town contact
• spare clothes and sleeping equipment including strong shoes, broad brimmed hat, leather gloves and sunscreen for each household member
• strong plastic or waterproof bags (for clothing, valuables, documents and photographs)
• extra car and house keys
• credit cards, key cards and money
• playing cards or games
• pen and notepad
• emergency food and water supplies
• keep your Home Emergency Kit in a waterproof storage container and remember to check the Kit on a regular basis to make sure the items have not passed their use by dates. Re-stock items when you need to.

What to do in an Emergency

If an emergency occurs, there are a number of things you can do:

• call 000 and request attendance by emergency services, eg for a fire. Do not assume others will do this
• seek reliable information about what is happening and advice from emergency services. This information may be provided by an emergency services person at the scene, via radio or television.  ABC Illawarra 97.3 is your local emergency broadcaster and it is advisable to stay tuned for any announcements
• do not call 000 for information, as the operator will not be able to provide it
• call your out of town contact
• check on neighbours, especially those who are elderly or disabled or who may not understand english well
• you may be advised to stay in your house or to evacuate - in either case, follow the advice given
• should evacuation be advised, remember to take all your prescribed medications with you
• check for any damage to your home, including fires and gas leaks, and shut off electricity, gas and water, if necessary
• do not light matches or candles or turn on electrical switches
• grab your emergency kit and take it with you
• personal emergency plan checklist

How well prepared you are? Have you:

• developed an emergency plan involving everyone who lives in your home?
• practised your emergency plan at least twice a year?
• discussed all possible exit routes from each room in the home or building?
• installed working smoke alarms in your home?
• decided where to meet household members during an emergency?
• purchased adequate insurance?
• identified a contact person – someone unlikely to be affected by the same emergency you are dealing with, who can keep family and friends informed of your situation?
• copied important documents and kept an extra copy at a location other than your home?
• made an inventory of your valuables in writing and with photographs, video or CD?
• kept a battery operated radio handy so you can keep in touch with news or what is happening around you?
• undertaken a first aid course in the past two years?
• found out what emergency plans your children’s school, crèche or kindergarten has in place?
• found out how emergency services in your community will operate in the event of an emergency?

If you live in a house or single level dwelling, stop here. If you live in a highrise or multi-storey dwelling, read on:

• has the body corporate manager or someone else nominated, developed an emergency evacuation plan?
• does the building have an audible and visual alarm for emergencies? 
• do you know what it sounds like? 
• do you know what to do if it is activated?
• does the building have clearly marked exit signs and floor plans with fire escapes shown?
• are all entry and exit points and doorways clear of rubbish and obstructions?
• does the body corporate manager or someone else nominated, have a list of phone numbers of all residents and owners to be contacted?
• is there someone responsible for door knocking neighbours on your own floor?
• are there regular meetings/newsletters to keep residents updated on the latest developments?
• is there a noticeboard or main contact point for information?
• are you aware of people with special needs and disabilities in your building?
• does your building and floor have a safe area set aside for people with a disability?
• are there signs in other languages to cater for non-English speaking residents in the building?

How well prepared are you? Check your results. Each tick is one point.

For residents in a house or single level dwelling:

• if you scored less than 5: You are not at all well prepared for the event of an emergency and chances are an emergency would have a greater impact on you and you would take much longer to recover.  You need to take immediate action.
• if you scored 6-9: You have made a good start but chances are you won’t have anticipated all the potential consequences and thus you won't be fully prepared  in the event of an emergency.
• if you scored 10-13: You are better prepared than most people but there is still more that you can do.

For residents in a highrise or multi-storey dwelling:

• if you scored less than 16: Your apartment building is not well prepared and the consequences of any emergency impacting your building could be drastic.
• if you scored 17-21: Your apartment building is more prepared than most but chances are that if your building is impacted by an emergency you will not be adequately prepared for all the consequences.
• if you scored 22-26: Your apartment building is better prepared than most but as things change every day you need to ensure that maintenance and communication updates occur regularly.