How to Use SOS and Strobe Modes on a Torch

A battery-powered or wind-up torch is the safest light to reach for when the power goes off, and every official guide to power cuts says the same thing: keep one at home with spare batteries, and keep it where you can find it in the dark¹. Candles are the alternative most households think of first, but fire services across the UK are clear that torches are safer, and several advise avoiding candles altogether³.

Some torches have a strobe setting, a rapid flash that is useful for signalling for help rather than for lighting a room. On a torch like the NEBO Torchy 2K, a double tap of the power button switches to Strobe, and the Ledlenser C5R Classic lists its strobe mode as being for emergency signalling⁵. Knowing how to reach that mode, and when to use it, is worth a minute of practice before you need it.

This page covers what to keep, where to keep it, how to check it works, and how to use a torch safely in a power cut or a flood. It also explains why a torch beats a candle, and how to signal for help if you are cut off.

A torch is the safest light in a power cut

The advice from network operators, government campaigns and fire services is consistent: a battery-powered or wind-up torch is the safest option for lighting a home during a power cut¹. The UK government's Be Ready campaign tells households to keep a battery or wind-up torch and spare batteries at home, and states plainly that torches are safer than candles². Northern Powergrid gives the same instruction, and SP Energy Networks suggests keeping a torch with charged batteries, or a wind-up dynamo torch, within easy reach¹.

There is a second option worth knowing about. SP Energy Networks notes that you can buy battery-powered lights that plug into a power socket and come on automatically during a power cut⁹. These are useful for lighting a hallway or landing without anyone having to find a torch, but they depend on being plugged in when the power fails, so they work best alongside a handheld torch rather than instead of one.

The Scottish Government's emergency kit guidance includes a battery-operated torch and spare batteries, or a wind-up torch, as standard equipment¹⁰. The Met Office winter checklist lists a torch and spare batteries as part of a household's winter preparation¹¹. In other words, this is not specialist prepping advice: it is the same short list repeated by the bodies that deal with power cuts every winter.

Fire and rescue services go further than simply preferring torches. Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service advises using a standing electric torch or battery-powered lights in a power cut because candles are a fire risk⁴. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service says that during a power cut you should use battery-operated lights or torches as an alternative light source¹². The message is the same across the four nations: light the room with a torch, not a flame.

Torch or candles: why a torch is the safer choice

Candles are the traditional answer to a power cut, and they are also the reason fire services repeat the same warning every winter. The Be Ready campaign states that torches are safer than candles². Wiltshire and Swindon Prepared says candles can be used but present a fire hazard, so it is best to stick with torches¹³. The British Red Cross advises avoiding candles where possible because they increase the risk of fire¹⁴.

Where official guidance does mention candles, it points towards battery-powered versions. The Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service says the safest way to use candles is to buy battery-powered versions, which have almost no fire risk, last longer and can be reused¹⁵. Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service gives the same advice and adds a caution: make sure the batteries cannot be accessed by children or pets¹⁶. Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service goes further still, saying it is safest to avoid using candles at all and to choose safer alternatives such as battery-powered lights¹⁷.

If you do keep real candles for a power cut, treat them as a last resort rather than a first choice. Keep them away from curtains, soft furnishings and anything that can catch, and never leave a lit candle in a room with no one in it. The simplest way to avoid the question entirely is to make sure the torch is charged and easy to find, so nobody reaches for a match in the first place.

Where to keep your torch and spare batteries

A torch is only useful if you can find it in the dark. Northern Powergrid advises keeping a torch with spare batteries in an accessible location¹⁸. The Isle of Anglesey County Council suggests storing a battery or wind-up torch somewhere you can access easily, so you can use it to check the fuse box and make your way around the house safely⁷. Electricity North West says simply to keep a battery-operated or wind-up torch somewhere easy to find¹⁹.

There is a social side to this as well. Official guidance notes that everyone in the home should know where the torches are kept, so the nearest person can retrieve them and safely help others²⁰. That matters in a household with more than one person: if only one person knows where the torch lives, everyone else is in the dark until that person is found.

A few practical places to consider:

• A bedside drawer, so you can find it if the power fails at night.
• A hallway cupboard or shelf near the fuse box, so you can check the trip switches with light in hand⁷.
• A kitchen drawer, for everyday use and for finding your way to the mains switch.
• A car glovebox, with spare batteries, as part of a winter car kit¹¹.

Keep the spare batteries with the torch rather than in a separate drawer, so the two are always found together. If you have a battery torch, make sure you have spare batteries to fit it¹³. The Met Office winter checklist also lists a torch and spare batteries as part of a household's winter preparation, so the same kit serves both the home and the car¹¹.

Getting your torch ready before an emergency

The time to discover a flat torch is in daylight, not during a storm. A short check before winter, and again when a weather warning is issued, is enough for most households. Switch the torch on, cycle through its modes, and replace the batteries if the beam looks weak.

How you reach the modes depends on the torch. On the NEBO Torchy 2K, the power button cycles through High, Medium and Low when pressed, and a double tap of the button switches to Strobe⁵. The same torch has five light modes in total: Turbo, High, Medium, Low and Strobe⁵. The Ledlenser C5R Classic has three modes, including strobe for emergency signalling⁶. Read the instructions for your own torch once, and practise the double tap so you can find strobe without thinking about it.

A simple pre-winter routine:

1. Test every torch in the house, including the one in the car, and note which ones need new batteries.
2. Replace the batteries in any torch that looks dim, and put a fresh set of spares with each torch¹³.
3. Learn the modes on each torch, especially how to reach strobe or flashing⁵.
4. Tell everyone in the household where the torches are kept²⁰.
5. Check the torch is where it should be after any tidy-up or move.

If your torch is rechargeable, charge it fully before winter and follow the maker's instructions for charging. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service reported a rise in fires involving rechargeable batteries in December 2024, so charge on a hard surface, do not cover the torch, and unplug it once charged¹². For more on choosing between battery and rechargeable models, see Rechargeable or Battery Torches for Emergencies.

Wind-up or battery torch: which suits your household

Both types appear in official guidance, and the right choice depends on how your household lives. A wind-up torch needs no batteries, so it will always work, which is why the Met Office lists one as an option for a car kit¹¹. A battery torch is usually brighter and simpler to use, but it depends on spare batteries being in the house¹³.

Many households keep one of each: a battery torch for everyday use and a wind-up model as a backup that cannot run flat. The Scottish Government's emergency kit allows for either a battery-operated torch with spare batteries or a wind-up torch, which suggests both are acceptable¹⁰. For a fuller comparison, see Torches: Types and How to Choose One for Home.

Using a torch safely in a flood

A torch with spare batteries is part of a standard emergency flood kit in Northern Ireland⁸. If flood water is coming into your home, a torch helps you see and move safely, but it does not make the building safe. The UK government's flood guidance is clear: do not touch an electrical switch if you are standing in water²¹. If you are in immediate danger, call 999²².

If you are trapped in a vehicle in flood water, the London Fire Brigade advises shouting and sounding your horn for help²³. A torch is useful here too: flash it towards rescuers or passing traffic if you can do so safely. Keep the torch with your flood kit, along with spare batteries, so it is ready before the water arrives⁸.

Signalling for help with a torch

Strobe mode exists for a reason: it is a rapid, attention-grabbing flash that is far more visible than a steady beam, especially at night or in poor visibility. The Ledlenser C5R Classic lists its strobe mode as being for emergency signalling⁶. The NEBO Torchy 2K reaches strobe with a double tap of the power button⁵.

Use it in short bursts rather than leaving it on continuously, so you keep battery for the hours ahead. Flash the light towards where help is likely to come from, such as a road, a neighbouring building or a rescue boat. If you are with others, agree who is signalling and when, so the torch is not wasted.

For more on lighting a room during a power cut, see Lighting Your Home Safely When the Power Goes Off. For the wider picture on preparing for a power cut, see Power Cuts: A Household Guide.