Emergencies like fires, floods or extreme weather events can strike at any time.

Being prepared will help you cope more calmly and confidently in a crisis.

Check out our guide to emergency preparedness and the items – such as a first aid kit – that you need to have ready.

Make an emergency plan

An emergency plan is a document that contains essential information about you, your family and your household all in one place.

It records details such as the full names of everyone in the household and their passport and Medicare numbers. There is also space to record information about medical conditions and treatment.

If you have a long-term health condition, it's also a good idea to wear a medical ID wristband. It means that details about your condition and any medication you take can be seen at a glance in an emergency situation.

An emergency plan is also a place to write down vital contact numbers like your doctor, nearest hospital with 24-hour facilities, insurance company and water, gas and electric emergency numbers. This is important as digitally stored numbers and devices such as mobile phones may not work in an emergency situation.

You can use a template such as this one by the Australian Red Cross to record all these important details.

Get your property emergency ready

Make sure that you are up-to-date with any repair jobs around the home so that your property is ready in the event of an emergency.

So if you live in an area that’s vulnerable to bushfires, be sure to replace any missing tiles on your roof to prevent embers from taking hold, check your fire equipment such as smoke alarms and clean gutters of debris that could catch fire.

To protect your home against floods, fix leaking roofs, check downpipes and gutters to make sure water flows out of your house and know the flood risk in your area.

Do some basic first aid training

Everyone should know some basic first aid training. It could make a big difference in the event of an emergency.

Even if you don’t have to use your skills, having that basic knowledge will give you confidence should disaster strike.

A basic first aid course will teach the essentials like how to:

  • Carry out CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and use a defibrillator
  • Control bleeding
  • Help a choking person
  • Treat burns
  • Treat minor injuries
  • Deal with broken bones
  • Treat insect stings and snake bites

Take a look at the website of a reputable provider like the Australian Red Cross or St John to find a first aid course near you.

Build a survival kit

Far from being daunting, building a survival kit can be a fun activity for all the family. Set aside a couple of hours to gather together everything you need for your kit. It should contain:

  • Wind-up torches
  • Battery-powered radio
  • Chargers
  • Bottled drinking water
  • Cash
  • Long-life food, such as canned goods
  • Medication
  • Toiletries
  • Blankets
  • Items for your pet, such as food and a carrier
  • Originals and copies of important documents like passports, marriage and birth certificates and wills

You will also need to have a fully stocked first aid kit to hand. Choose a comprehensive first aid kit for the home and a smaller one to keep in your vehicle so that you are fully prepared in an emergency.

Keep all the items in your survival kit in a water and fireproof container. A box with wheels and a handle is ideal so you can transport it easily if necessary.

Keep it somewhere that’s easy to access and close to an escape route.

You can put some reflective stickers on it too so it can be easily seen if there is a power cut.

Stay organised

You can never be too organised when it comes to planning for an emergency. Follow our top tips to stay one step ahead:

  • Always keep your mobile phone sufficiently charged
  • Download useful apps, such as for the weather and for flood and fire warnings on your phone
  • Follow local news outlets and emergency services on social media
  • Schedule some time every few months when you go through your emergency preparedness kit and stock up on any items required
  • Practise your emergency preparedness plan with your family
  • Refresh your first aid training on at least an annual basis

Get emergency ready with our first aid kits

Simply reading through our emergency preparedness checklist means that you are already one step ahead.

Knowing what to do in an emergency before it happens will give you confidence should the unexpected strike.

And getting your home stocked up on the essentials you need is an easy first step to being prepared.

Browse our selection of first aid kits for all scenarios and make the most of our speedy delivery throughout Australia and excellent customer service too so that you are emergency ready.