Fires, extreme weather and power outages rarely give notice. Preparing for them, though, is entirely within your control. These essentials will help you and your family respond quickly when it counts.

Escape Routes and Meeting Spot

It can take as little as five minutes for a fire to engulf a home, which is why an escape plan has to exist before you need it. Map at least two ways out of every room in case one is blocked, and pick one spot outside where everyone meets. Choose a second meeting place farther from home as well, for the times when it isn’t safe to return or you’re asked to evacuate.

 

Emergency Contacts

Make a laminated card for each family member with the numbers that matter: relatives, trusted friends, your doctor and local emergency services. Phones die and batteries run out, so a paper copy in a wallet or backpack is worth the ten minutes it takes to make.

 

What to Keep on Hand

• Fire extinguisher: one on each floor, checked once a year to confirm it’s still charged.
• First aid kit: stored somewhere central, like the kitchen, and known to everyone in the house.
• Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors: on every level of the home and outside every sleeping area, tested monthly. Long-life lithium batteries mean fewer replacements.
• Food and water: enough non-perishable food and drinking water to get your household through three days without a trip to the store. Your local emergency management office publishes the recommended amount of water per person.

You can’t control when an emergency happens. You can control how ready you are when it does.