If you are involved in an emergency, keep calm and take the following actions:
- If life is in danger call 999
- Follow the advice of emergency responders
- Try and get to a safe place – this may not be your home
- Check for injuries, try and stay calm and reassure others around you
- If you are not directly involved and in the absence of other instruction, GO IN, STAY IN, TUNE IN
- Your safety is of paramount importance – think before you act and avoid putting yourself or others in unnecessary danger.
Go In, Stay In, Tune In
Unless told otherwise by the emergency services if you are not involved in an incident but are close by or believe you may be in danger:
- Go inside and close doors and windows
- Stay inside for as long as it is safe to do so – depending on the incident, stay away from doors and windows
- Tune in to your local radio station, TV or internet news channels – emergency responders will use these to issue specific advice to the public.
Obviously there will be times when it is not safe to ‘go in’ – for example if there is a fire or if you are advised to take alternative action by the emergency services.
Evacuation and Shelter
In some emergencies you may be asked to take certain actions to protect yourself from harm.
Evacuation – the emergency services may ask you to evacuate your home or business because it is not safe for you to remain there or as a precautionary measure. As you may not get any notice of this evacuation, it’s worth preparing a grab bag with copies of key documents and important items you may need. You should also plan where you would go if you were evacuated - for example, if you have friends or family you could stay with. If you have pets, plan how you would look after them if you had to evacuate – emergency accommodation shelters may not be able to take animals other than assistance dogs.
Shelter in place – go inside, close doors and windows and turn off any air conditioning or venting systems that draw in air from outside. Tune in to your local radio station and listen for further information and advice. Sheltering is often the best way of protecting yourself if there is an airborne risk (eg from a chemical spill).
Specific emergencies
Find out more about responding to: