Staying Put or Leaving: How to Decide

For most emergencies in the UK, the official advice is the same wherever you live: go in, stay in and tune in. Go indoors, close doors and windows, stay there until the emergency services or local radio tell you otherwise, and listen to local radio, television or official sources online for public information and advice¹. The reason is simple: in emergencies where the danger is outside, such as a chemical release or a radiation emergency, your home is usually the safest shelter available, and moving about outside puts you in the danger zone and in the way of responders⁴.

The big exception is fire. If there is a fire in your home or affecting your home, get out, stay out and call 999, and follow the advice of the fire and rescue service⁶. Do not stop to collect belongings or valuables⁷. Floods sit somewhere in between: official advice is often to stay in your home and move upstairs rather than leave, because flood water itself is a danger⁸.

This page explains how to weigh staying put against leaving when no instruction has been given, why official instructions always come first, and how to be ready for either choice. If you have been told to evacuate, see What to Do If You Are Asked to Evacuate; if you have been told to shelter, see Sheltering in Place: Staying Indoors When Danger Is Outside.

Most emergencies: go in, stay in, tune in

For most emergencies, the advice is normally GO IN, STAY IN AND TUNE IN¹. It means three things. Go indoors and close all doors and windows. Stay indoors until you are told otherwise by the emergency services or local radio. Tune in to local radio, TV or the internet, where public information and advice from the emergency responders will be broadcast¹¹.

The logic is that in most major emergencies the danger is outside¹². If you are told you are near a radiation emergency, the most important thing to do is go indoors as soon as you can and stay there, close the doors and windows, and stay as far away from external walls as possible⁵. The same sheltering advice applies if you are outside and alerted to a chemical emergency nearby: shelter, go in, stay in, tune in⁴. The UK government's Prepare campaign puts it plainly: those affected may be asked to "Go in, Stay in and Tune in" to local or national radio stations or to check official sources of information online³.

Some councils add a simple framework for the first moments of any emergency: STAR, meaning Stop, Think, Assess, Respond, and contact 999 if people are injured or in danger¹³. Staying in does not mean ignoring the situation: remain indoors as long as it is safe to do so and wait until the emergency has passed¹⁴, and keep listening so you hear the moment the advice changes.

When to leave straight away without waiting to be told

Fire is the clear case where you leave immediately, without waiting for anyone to tell you. If there is a fire in your home, get out, stay out and call 999 when it is safe to do so, and follow the advice of the fire and rescue service⁶. Warwickshire's fire escape plan advice is blunt about speed: "In an emergency, get out as quickly as possible and don't stop to collect personal belongings or valuables"⁷. The same rule applies to your grab bag: it is there for planned evacuations, not for a fire, and nothing in it is worth going back for.

The same rule applies wherever you are living. If there is a fire in a caravan or mobile home, get out, stay out and call the fire and rescue service immediately¹⁵. The pattern is consistent: get out, stay out, call 999¹⁶.

What you must not do is go back. Once you are out, do not re-enter your home until the fire and rescue service has made it safe⁶. This applies even when it is hardest: if someone is still inside, wait for the fire and rescue service to arrive, tell them about the person, and they will find them quicker than you¹⁷. Firefighters have protective equipment and training; you do not.

Leave when the emergency services tell you to

When the emergency services ask you to leave, the instruction is not a suggestion. Scottish Borders Council's emergency planning advice states: "If the police ask you to leave your home, please do so. They will ask you to go to a place of safety. If you decide to go somewhere else, let them know so you can be accounted for"¹⁰. Being accounted for matters: if the emergency services do not know where you are, they cannot check you are safe, and they may send people into a dangerous area looking for you.

The UK government's Prepare campaign explains the stakes directly. Delaying or refusing to evacuate may put your life at risk, as well as putting emergency responders in danger if they later have to return to properties to deliver the evacuation request again, or to rescue someone trapped³. A refusal does not only affect you.

If you are evacuated overnight and you choose not to stay at the rest centre the council has opened, you still need to make yourself accountable: inform the emergency services of where you have gone and how you can be contacted by calling 101¹⁸. For the full process of an evacuation, including what happens at a rest centre, see What to Do If You Are Asked to Evacuate and Rest Centres: Where You Go If You Are Evacuated.

Stay put in a high-rise flat fire: when it applies and when to get out

Flat and high-rise buildings have their own fire procedures, and the right action depends on where the fire is and what your building's strategy is. If you live in a block of flats or a high-rise building, there will be specific advice about what to do in the event of a fire, so find out your building's procedure before anything happens¹⁹.

The general principle for most high-rise domestic buildings is stay put. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service's advice for high-rise residents is: "Unless you are directly affected by heat smoke or fire, or you have been told to leave your flat by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, stay inside with the front door closed"⁹. South Wales Fire and Rescue Service gives the same instruction: if your building's procedure is to stay put, remain in your flat unless there is smoke or flames entering, and if you need to escape, call 999 and wait for directions²⁰. London Fire Brigade's easy-read guidance puts it simply: it is usually safer to stay in your own flat unless fire or smoke is affecting you, and you should do what the fire brigade or people who provide you with support say²¹.

The exceptions are clear. You should leave your flat if you are directly affected by heat, smoke or fire, or if the fire and rescue service or police tells you to get out⁹. And if the fire is in your flat, you leave the flat and the building: close all doors on your way out and do not use the lift²¹.

Some buildings operate a Stay Safe policy rather than a traditional stay put policy. Manchester Fire and Rescue Service explains the difference: if there is a fire in your flat you should leave the flat and the building, but if there is a fire somewhere else in the building, you can remain in your flat and do not need to leave the building²². Check which policy your building operates, because it changes what you do.

If you do have to escape from a flat, Manchester Fire and Rescue Service gives a sequence worth learning: where possible and safe, close the door to the room where the fire is, alert people in the flat, activate any manual alarms, call 999 and stay on the phone whilst evacuating, stay low if there is smoke, close all doors behind you, use the stairs and keep left, and do not use the lift unless instructed by a firefighter²³. Once outside, move away from the building, go to the assembly point and wait for the fire service to arrive, and do not re-enter until told it is safe by a firefighter²³. For more on fire, carbon monoxide and gas risks at home, see Home Emergencies: Fire, Carbon Monoxide, Gas Leaks and Burst Pipes.

Floods: when moving upstairs is safer than leaving

Flooding is the emergency where staying in can beat leaving, because the danger is often the water between you and the way out. Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service's flooding advice is: "Stay in your home if you can - move upstairs unless clearly unsafe to do so"⁸. Moving upstairs keeps you out of flood water, which can be fast-moving, contaminated and deeper than it looks, while leaving may mean wading or driving through exactly the hazard you should avoid.

The judgement is about your own home. If moving upstairs is clearly unsafe, if the water is rising into the upper floor, or if you are told to leave, then the balance changes. As with every emergency, listen to what the emergency services and local radio are saying, because the advice can shift as the situation develops. For a fuller guide to preparing for and getting through floods, see Flooding: A Household Guide.

How to decide if no one has told you what to do

Sometimes an emergency begins and no instruction has reached you. Lincolnshire Council's advice for major emergencies covers this moment: if you are not involved in the incident but are close by or believe you may be in danger, the best thing to do is go inside a safe building, stay inside until advised otherwise, and tune in to local radio or TV for information²⁴. In other words, the default is the same go in, stay in, tune in.

Before deciding, use the STAR approach from community preparedness guidance: Stop, Think, Assess, Respond, and contact 999 if people are injured or in danger¹³. Ask yourself where the danger is. If the danger is outside, go in, stay in, tune in¹². If the danger is inside your home, above all fire, get out, stay out and call 999⁶. If you are unsure, getting indoors and finding official information is almost always the safer first move, because it buys you time to hear what the emergency services are advising without putting yourself in harm's way.

Two things should not drive your decision. Do not go back inside to collect anything once you have escaped a fire⁷. And if someone is still inside, wait for the fire and rescue service and tell them about the person, as they will find them quicker than you⁶. The grab bag is for planned evacuations, not immediate ones.

Getting ready for either choice before an emergency

The best time to make the stay-or-leave decision is before anything happens, when you are calm and can check things. Have a household emergency plan ready, including who you would stay with if your home was evacuated¹⁴. That single question covers both halves of the decision: your way out, and your destination.

If you are asked to evacuate and you have time, Scottish Borders Council advises checking the home before you go: make sure that fires are out, your water, gas and electricity are switched off, and your property is locked up¹⁰. Knowing where your stopcock, gas valve and fuse box are before an emergency means you can do this quickly: see Finding Your Stopcock, Gas Valve and Fuse Box.

For the leaving half of the decision, keep a grab bag ready and available in case an emergency evacuation requires you to leave quickly²⁵. If you are at home when an emergency happens, try to gather some essential items before you leave your property, and keep such items in the same place within the home so you can find them fast²⁶. If you have a car, Lincolnshire Council advises keeping a half tank of fuel in it at all times in case you need to evacuate²⁷. For what to put in the bag itself, see Emergency Kit: What a UK Household Should Keep Ready and Before You Leave Home in an Emergency: Checklist.

For the staying half, agree with your household how you would shelter, and identify which room you would gather in. As part of your planning, know the safest way to leave your home and consider where you could stay temporarily, including who you would stay with if your home was evacuated²⁸. A written household plan holds all of this in one place: see How to Make a Household Emergency Plan and the Household Emergency Plan Template.

*A grab bag kept by the door means a planned evacuation takes minutes, not an hour of searching.

Leaving safely: what to take and who to tell

If the evacuation is planned rather than immediate, take the essentials. Essential medication comes first²⁶, along with baby and pet supplies if anyone in the household needs them²⁶. If you have pets that cannot be left alone for a sustained period, take some food, a basket or bed, and leads¹⁰. Take your pets with you²⁷.

Before you leave, if you have time, put out fires, switch off water, gas and electricity, and lock up¹⁰. Then tell people. If you go somewhere other than the place of safety the police suggest, let them know so you can be accounted for¹⁰. If the evacuation is overnight and you are not staying at the rest centre, inform the emergency services of where you have gone and how you can be contacted by calling 101¹⁸.

Where you go is your choice within the options. Somerset Council lists them: if you are asked to evacuate your home, you can go to relatives, friends, a community place of safety or a local authority rest centre²⁹. Greater Manchester Combined Authority's resilience guidance adds that the best option is to see if you can stay with any friends or relatives, and that the local authority may open a rest centre¹⁴. The Greater London Authority's guidance for London agrees: the best option is to see if you can stay with any friends or relatives³⁰.

Pets need a plan of their own, because not everywhere will take them. Wiltshire and Swindon Prepared advises that not all shelters are suitable for pets, so consider where you might take them in an emergency, and listen to local emergency services when asked to evacuate or shelter at home³¹. The Greater London Authority warns that some emergency shelters may only be able to take assistance animals³⁰. Birmingham City Council suggests you agree a plan with a trusted neighbour and make sure they know your pet and where to find a lead or carrier³². Westminster City Council's older guidance is firmer still: you are advised not to bring pets to an evacuation centre, so have a plan for where they can stay²⁸. For a full guide, see Pets and Animals in an Emergency: A Household Guide.

Where to get official advice during an emergency

During the emergency itself, official information is what should move you from staying to leaving or back. Tune in to local radio, TV or the internet, where public information and advice from the emergency responders will be broadcast³³. Local radio is repeatedly named in official guidance because it works when other channels fail and carries information specific to your area¹.

If people are injured or in danger, contact 999¹³. For non-emergency contact with the police, such as telling them where you have gone after an overnight evacuation, call 101¹⁸. For staying informed and in touch when networks are under strain, see Staying Informed and in Touch in an Emergency: A Household Guide.

Neighbours are part of where help comes from, and where you can give it. Surrey Council asks households to check on anyone in their neighbourhood who may not be known to emergency, health and social care services but may need help in an emergency, and to support them if they can¹⁸. If they need more than you can provide, such as transport, medication, temporary accommodation or medical attention, alert the local council¹³. Households that need extra help, including older, disabled and medically dependent people, can find specific advice at Extra Help in an Emergency, and community-level preparation is covered in Community Resilience: A Guide for Neighbours and Local Groups.

When the emergency is over, do not enter a dangerous area until the emergency services tell you it is safe¹⁴, and after a fire never re-enter until the fire and rescue service has made it safe⁶. See Returning Home After an Emergency and Recovering After a Major Emergency for what comes next.