What you can do to prepare for emergencies :Cross Stitch – Home and community
Emergencies happen. There may be times when an emergency affects you, but your life isn’t in immediate danger. In these times, you’ll need to know how to help yourself and those around you. Find out how you and your family can prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies.
If there is an emergency, you should:
- call 999 if your or someone else’s life is in danger
- follow the advice local emergency responders give you
- think before you act
- never put yourself or others in unnecessary danger
- try to get to a safe place if possible – this may not be your home
- check for injuries – remember to help yourself before attempting to help others
- try to reassure others around you
Go in, stay in, tune in
If you are not involved in the incident, but are close by or believe you may be in danger, you should:
- go inside and stay away from doors and windows
- stay inside for as long as it is safe to do so
- tune in to your local radio, TV and internet news channels – local emergency responders (eg police and fire services) will use these to give you information
There may be times when you should not ‘go in’, for example if there is a fire, or the emergency services tell you not to.
Emergencies can have tragic consequences. Losing loved ones, homes and precious possessions are just some of the ways people can be affected by emergencies. The emotional and physical stress of these incidents shouldn’t be underestimated – people need to recover in their own way and at their own pace.
The emergency response to an incident must first be to save lives. But those providing support during an emergency should also be mindful of how they give practical and emotional help. Appropriate social support from family, friends and professionals soon after an incident may make it less likely that people affected will develop mental health conditions.
You may know about some emergencies before they affect you. For example, you may get news beforehand about things like floods and severe weather or disease outbreaks. You may also get warnings about strikes and industrial action, which can cause interruptions to utility supplies and food or fuel deliveries.
Some incidents are impossible to predict and happen without warning – for example, a terrorist attack or an industrial accident. Industrial accidents can cause problems with fuel and energy supply, the release of dangerous materials, or even major explosions and fires.
Incidents like organised crime and ‘cyber attacks’ (attacks on computer systems) can also cause serious problems.
The UK will continue to be a target for threats of all kinds. Emergencies may happen in a small area but could affect a larger area – for example, disruption to the supply of energy, fuel, telecommunications and transport networks.