How to Build Your Own Emergency Kit
Disaster can strike with little or no warning.
It may force you to evacuate your home, work or study place or it may confine you. Basic services such as electricity, water, gas, telephone, or the internet may be cut off for extended periods of time. Emergency services will respond but they cannot reach everyone right away. No one can predict what will happen.
It pays to be ready and better prepared
Recent disasters around the world and close to home highlight that you may need to be self-sufficient anywhere from three to ten days or even longer.
What the right level of Emergency Preparedness is for you only you know. However, what may be adequate at one stage in your life may not be sufficient when your situation changes so keep your plan and kit updated.
Most important: you can cope by making a Personal Emergency Plan
Knowing what to do and where to go, being equipped and prepared is your best protection for any real emergency or disaster.
Forming wider networks of skills and resources with extended family, friends and neighbours is also important. No one is ever alone in a major incident. Only by giving and receiving help can people cope with disaster events.
Making your Personal Emergency Plan is easy!
At first, it might seem daunting but preparing your personal emergency plan is quite straightforward and easy. You will be pleasantly surprised at how much you already have, how much you already know.
Why do I need an Emergency Kit?
In the event of a major incident, emergency or disaster, the authorities may become overwhelmed with the scale of the response. The emergency services may not be able to respond to the immediate needs of everyone. Response times could stretch from minutes to hours, or it may be days before help arrives. It is, therefore, vital that you can support yourself and your family for an extended amount of time in the event of a major incident.
Increasing UK storms and flooding may mean that thousands of people are left without power and clean water supplies for extended periods of time and there are other risks (UK National Risk Register).
You may need to survive, in adverse weather, without electric power, heat, gas or communication for 72 hours or longer
Employers and Businesses alike should plan to support their customers, guests and staff in emergency or disaster situations. In short, your Business Continuity should include contingencies to be self-sufficient for at least three days in the aftermath of a major incident.
What kind of Emergency Kit do I need?
You need to consider 2 types of Emergency Kits.
1. a Go Bag containing survival essentials to be used in case of immediate evacuation and
2. an emergency survival Preparedness Kit to provide supplies for sheltering-in-place
The Go Bag contains your personal emergency supplies pre-packed in an easy-to-carry solution, usually a sturdy backpack. It holds all the items you will need if you have to leave your home or workplace immediately; for example, if you are advised to evacuate. In addition to essential survival supplies, you should pack personal items such as medication, maps, keys, spare glasses, copies of documents and other important records. Store your Go Bag in a safe and secure location ready to be grabbed at a moment's notice.
In addition to essential supplies, you should pack personal items, a communication kit, and copies of important documents. Store your Go Bag in a safe and secure location ready to be grabbed at a moment's notice. Other names for Go Bag that you may come across are grab-bag, bug-out bag, evacuation pack etc.
While a Go Bag is an essential part of your emergency preparedness for evacuation, in the event of a major incident, the authorities are equally likely to issue shelter-in-place advice i.e.
Remember, emergencies rarely occur during perfect weather. Disasters know no borders. Expect the unexpected and be better prepared for all kinds of emergencies. Threat levels are high but it's not only about security. Increasingly, severe weather events and other disasters impact the United Kingdom. Flooding is a widespread problem forcing people to evacuate homes and businesses. Unfortunately, flooding is highly likely to increase both in regularity and severity. One reason is that the warmer air associated with climate change simply holds more moisture resulting in more frequent and heavier downpours. Living in an interconnected world also means that distant events both weather and security related can and will impact the UK in unexpected ways. Nobody can 100% accurately predict the future and therefore, it pays to be better prepared.
Emergency Go Bag Contents List
Water
Pack at least 1.5 litres of drinking water per person per day. You can simply pack mineral water bottles, but these will have a limited shelf life, so you will need to replace these at regular intervals. Emergency drinking water pouches, as used in life-raft supplies, have a five-year shelf life and provide a good solution for your Go Bag. One way of reducing the amount of water you carry in your Go Bag is to pack water purification tablets - these can be used to treat almost any water, making it suitable to drink. If you do not wish to use chemicals to disinfect your water, you can choose a purification or filtration bottle. These are compact bottles with integrated filter cartridges. You can fill from any water source and the filter will stop the bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other water-borne pathogens.
Food
Pack some ready to eat food in your Go Bag to keep self-sufficient in the immediate aftermath of an incident. Emergency Food Rations, as used in life- rafts, provide a high calorie, a long shelf-life biscuit that is both compact and easy to store. Ration packs are used by armies worldwide are an excellent choice. In addition, or as a short term alternative pack snack bars or trail mix but make a note to replace these at regular intervals.
Masks
Human beings can survive for several days without water, several weeks without food, but only a few minutes without air. Dust and debris are often overwhelming at the site of an accident or incident. Disposable respirator masks can be worn over the mouth and nose to filter dust, particles, and aqueous mists. Fold-flat type of masks are compact and easy to carry and therefore ideal for emergency purposes. FFP3 masks are the equivalent of N99 and FFP2 are the equivalent of N95, 99% and 95% nominal filtration efficiency, respectively. Typically, FFP3 respirator masks are used by healthcare workers to protect themselves when exposed to airborne viruses.
Light
A good torch is an essential component of your Go Bag. Select an emergency torch that uses LEDs as these will last for thousands of hours, negating the need for spare bulbs. Purchasing multiple types of torches makes sense. A head torch (worn on the forehead) will leave your hands free for other tasks. In addition, get two types of handheld torches. First, choose a wind-up type of torch with a built-in dynamo that charges its internal batteries so that you never run out of power. Second, for ease of use and a powerful beam select a battery-powered torch. As to which spare batteries you need: alkaline batteries generally have a five-year shelf life while lithium batteries will perform well even when stored for over 10 years.
Radio
Information is crucial during any crisis. Tune in to emergency radio broadcasts via a portable AM/FM radio receiver. Like your torches, emergency radio is available with built-in generators for wind-up power so they can be used anytime. Remember that mains electricity may not be available and that you may not be able to access the internet.
Clothing
Keeping warm and dry is essential. Select light and compact items as space is at a premium in your Go Bag. Layers of clothing are more versatile. Travel ponchos are a good choice to keep you dry. Foil blankets are efficient at retaining body heat, but they can only be used at rest. An emergency foil poncho is an excellent choice as it is extremely light and compact, yet it will keep you warm and dry even while moving about. Also pack a compact survival sleeping bag for overnight shelter.
First Aid
Your first aid kit contents should reflect your training and ability and must include at the very least wound cleansing and dressing supplies, eyewash and burn treatment bandages. Also include basic medications and enough personal prescription items to last you one week.
Communication
Telephone networks, including mobile networks, may become disabled or overwhelmed locally during an emergency. If you want to communicate with friends and family that are within a few kilometres of you, licence-free walkie-talkie radios are an excellent choice as they operate independently of any network. A satellite phone doesn't depend on the local networks so it may be your only reliable means of voice and email communications for longer distances.
Miscellaneous
Pack an emergency mobile phone charger (to connect when service resumes) and additional spare batteries for other tools. Choose long-life lithium batteries, as they are lightweight and can be used in extreme environmental conditions. A good quality multi-tool, waterproof tape, a loud whistle, and a personal flashing beacon for rescue are also highly recommended as additions to our Go Bag.
Documents
Pack copies of your IDs and other important documents, local maps, keys, prescriptions, some money, and essential contact information that you may not have access to if you evacuate your home. Pack these items in a waterproof document pouch or map case. Packing self-adhesive labels or waterproof notepaper and tape along with a pencil will allow you to leave notes and instructions for others to follow.
The bag
Choose a medium-sized backpack that can hold all your survival gear. The bag does not need to be waterproof, however, if you wish to protect your gear, you can line your backpack with a lightweight dry sack. You can make your bag easier to find in the dark by sticking photo-luminescent (glow in the dark) tape or attaching a photoluminescent and reflective safety armband to the handle.
Download our complete PDF Guide to Emergency Preparedness and the Survival Kit List. Follow the easy checklists and useful templates which you can customize to your personal needs. Maintain, practise, and update your plan at least twice a year. Create your own maps, resources & important documents checklists based on resources:
1. Emergency Preparedness: Risk Assessment, Evacuation plan + Shelter-in-place plan
2. Stock Emergency Supplies: Go Bag list + Disaster Survival Kit list
3. Communications Plan: National Risk RegisterGuide to Emergency Preparedness
