Household Emergency Plan Template: What to Fill In

A household emergency plan is a single sheet of paper that tells everyone in your home what to do, who to ring and where the shut-offs are when something goes wrong. You do not need a special form to start one: a handwritten sheet with the right headings does the same job, and the government's Prepare campaign publishes a fill-in plan you can use as a starting point¹.

Fill in four things first: contact numbers, including 999, 101, 111 and your utility providers; how to turn off the gas, electricity and water; at least three days of food and water; and where the printed copy lives so everyone can find it². Then keep it current, because a plan nobody has checked since last winter is a plan with the wrong phone numbers on it.

The sections below take each part in turn, with the wording the official guidance uses, so you can copy the headings straight onto your own sheet.

The checklist: what goes on the plan

Work through this list and write each answer on your sheet. If an item does not apply to your household, write "not applicable" rather than leaving a blank, so you know it was considered.

1. Emergency contact numbers, written down, not just saved in a phone: family, the people you live with, your doctor, and your insurance and utility providers¹¹.
2. The emergency numbers themselves: 999, 101 for the police, 111 for NHS advice, 105 for a power cut, 0800 111 999 for a gas emergency, and Floodline Scotland on 0345 988 1188 if you are in Scotland⁴.
3. Where your gas, electricity and water shut-offs are, and how to turn each one off⁸.
4. At least three days of food and water, including food that needs no cooking and a tin opener².
5. Medicines and prescriptions, with the details of what each person takes¹².
6. Pets, including their food and supplies, and where they would go if you had to leave¹⁴.
7. A printed or handwritten copy kept somewhere handy, with everyone in the home told where it is³.
8. A review date, once a year, to check every detail is still correct¹⁰.

Contact numbers to write down

The core of any plan is a list of numbers that works when your phone does not. Surrey County Council's guidance makes the point plainly: keep a physical copy of key information such as telephone numbers and insurance details, because you may not be able to reach them on a phone or online¹². London Resilience Partnership advises the same: a household plan should contain emergency contact details for your family or the people you live with, plus details of your insurance and utility providers¹¹.

Write down the numbers you would actually ring, in this order:

• 999 for a threat to life, including a fire. The fire and rescue services are consistent: get out, stay out and call 999⁵. When you call, speak slowly and clearly¹⁸.
• 101 for the police when it is not an emergency⁴.
• 111 for NHS advice, listed in Scotland as NHS 24⁴.
• 105 for a loss of power⁴.
• 0800 111 999 for a gas emergency⁴.
• 0345 988 1188 for Floodline Scotland, if you live in Scotland⁴.
• Your own utility providers, insurer and doctor, so you are not hunting for account numbers in the dark¹¹.

The Scottish home emergency plan sets these out as a ready-made list, which is a sensible model for any household to copy⁴. If you want the wider picture of who to ring and when, see Staying Informed and in Touch in an Emergency.

Know how to turn off gas, electricity and water

Every set of official guidance says the same thing: find out how to turn off your home's gas, electricity and water supplies before an emergency, not during one⁸. The Be Ready campaign explains why it matters: you will need to turn these off if you have to leave your home because of flooding or a leak¹⁹. Northern Ireland's flood guidance singles out knowing where to turn off your electricity or gas supply as part of flood preparation²⁰.

Walk round your home now and record three things on the plan: where the stopcock is, where the gas valve is, and where the fuse box is. Then write down how each is turned off, in your own words, so anyone in the house can follow it. Our guide to finding your stopcock, gas valve and fuse box covers the search room by room.

That single rule is the most important line on the whole plan. Write it next to the gas valve entry so nobody is tempted to try it themselves.

Supplies the plan should cover: at least three days

The plan should record what you hold, and how much, so you can see at a glance whether you would actually get through a few days without power or a trip to the shops. The Be Ready household plan asks for non-perishable food to last at least three days that does not require cooking or refrigerating, such as tinned meat, fruit or vegetables, plus a tin opener². Ready Scotland's emergency kit list says the same: a 3 days' supply of bottled water and food that does not need cooking and will not go off, or that you rely on⁷. Dumfries and Galloway's guidance adds enough emergency food for three days and a can opener²¹.

Write on the plan:

• Water: how much you hold, and where⁷.
• Food: what you have that needs no cooking, and when it expires².
• Medicines: what each person takes and how much is in the house²².
• Pet and baby supplies: kept at home for an emergency¹⁵.
• A tin opener, because a cupboard of tins is no use without one².

The plan is also the place to note the things you would grab: important documents such as birth certificates and insurance policies, spare glasses or contact lenses, spare keys to your home and car, and a battery or wind-up torch with spare batteries²³. Our Emergency Kit section covers the full list, and Emergency Food and Water in an Emergency go into stores and quantities in detail.

Keep a printed copy where everyone can find it

Ready Scotland's advice is short and worth copying word for word: keep a printed or handwritten copy somewhere handy and make sure everyone in your home knows where it is³. The reason is simple. The moment you need the plan is the moment the phone is flat, the broadband is down or you have left the house in a hurry.

A few practical points from the guidance:

• Print it, or write it by hand. Either is acceptable; what matters is that it does not depend on power or a signal³.
• Put a copy in your emergency kit, alongside the contact numbers²¹.
• Keep it somewhere handy and make sure everyone in your home knows where it is³.
• Keep a second copy in the car if you have one, with the blanket and warm clothes Ready Scotland and Newport City Council advise keeping there⁷.

Where to get a template, and which one to use

You do not have to design the sheet yourself. Several official versions exist, and they differ mainly in length and in which nation they are written for.

Argyll and Bute's guidance describes its household emergency plan template as a way for individuals and families to plan how they would cope in an emergency²⁵. Greater Manchester's resilience team points households to the template on the government's Prepare website²⁶. If you live in Scotland, start with the Ready Scotland version, which lists the Scottish emergency numbers you will need⁴; our Scotland: Ready Scotland and Household Planning page explains the differences.

There is no separate Word version listed in the official guidance. The published templates are PDFs, which you can print and fill in by hand or type into if your software allows. A handwritten plan is explicitly acceptable³.

Extra details worth adding: ICE, bottles and pets

Beyond the core headings, a few additions make the plan work harder.

ICE contacts. Store the people you would want contacted if you were taken ill under ICE on your phone, numbering them ICE 1, ICE 2 and so on if there is more than one²⁷. North West Ambulance Service also publishes a printable ICE card with space for a name, telephone number and full address, which helps if your phone is locked or out of power²⁸.

Message in a Bottle. This is a free way to store vital information in your home where emergency services can find it²⁹. Your details go in a plastic bottle with a push-fit lid, kept in the fridge, where crews expect to look²⁹. Two green cross labels show you take part: one inside your front door, one on the fridge door²⁹. It is run by the Lions Club of Paignton with Torbay and Southern Devon Health and Care NHS Trust²⁹. It suits anyone who might not be able to answer questions in an emergency, and it is worth noting on the plan that the bottle is there.

Pets. If you are a pet owner, your plan must include your pets, because being prepared can save their lives¹⁴. Keep pet supplies at home as part of your kit¹⁵. Plan ahead for where animals would go: some emergency shelters cannot accept pets, and it may be difficult, if not impossible, to find shelter for your animals in the middle of a disaster¹⁴. Our Pets and Animals in an Emergency guide covers this in full.

Scams and false information. Ready Scotland warns that criminals may take advantage of emergencies by sharing scams or false information, so keep your devices and personal information secure³. Write down which official source your household will check for updates, so nobody acts on a forwarded message.

When to stay indoors, and what the plan should say

Some emergencies are best met by staying put rather than leaving. Ready Scotland's home emergency plan gives the instruction plainly: if it is not safe to go out, go indoors and close all windows and doors, stay indoors, and stay up to date using radio, TV or online⁴.

Your plan should record three things for that situation: which room you would use, how you would hear official updates if the power is out, and who checks on anyone in the household who might not hear an alert. Our Sheltering in Place guide covers the detail, and Staying Put or Leaving: How to Decide helps with the judgement call.