An emergency plan turns the chaos of an crisis into a the actions that keep your family safe. How you respond in the first minutes depends largely on what was decided long before the event, and knowing where to go, who to contact, and what to take with you before a crisis happens helps before the real thing leaves you without time to think. Without a plan, those same decisions fall to people who are already frightened, possibly separated, and working against a clock. Having those decisions made in advance gives your family a clear starting point when an emergency begins.
What Is an Emergency Plan?
An emergency plan is a written record of what your family will do if a disaster or emergency occurs. It covers where you will go, how you will get there, who you will contact, what you will take, and what to do if family members are separated. Ideally, they should be kept somewhere accessible so anyone in the family can find and follow them when it counts.
Why Australians Need an Emergency Plan
Households that have made an emergency plan before a disaster arrives have more time to act and fewer decisions to make under pressure. The extra time can help determine whether a family evacuates safely or is still working out what to do when things get worse.
Australia’s climate makes emergency planning relevant to every family no matter where they are in the country. We are one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world, with bushfires, floods, cyclones, storms, and heatwaves occurring across all states and territories all year round. Communities constantly face one disaster after another, and studies show this is happening more often.
Any disaster can strike any Australian. When disaster strikes, families that have not prepared may face a harder and slower recovery.
How to Make a Household Emergency Plan
An emergency plan should cover five areas: hazards, contacts, communication, evacuation, and supplies. Share the emergency plan with all family members and keep a written copy in your go bag.
Hazards. Identify the disasters most likely to affect your area. Many local council websites publishes hazard maps and disaster management information for your area, and your state or territory emergency service website carries risk information specific to where you live.
Contacts. Write down the phone numbers of all family members, local emergency services, and two contacts who do not live with you, with one ideally living interstate. Make sure everyone in your family has a copy of the list or knows where to find it.
Communication. Decide how your family will contact each other if you become separated. Phone and text are the most straightforward, but when networks are down, meeting at a pre-agreed place removes the need for contact entirely. Two-way radios such as UHF CB handsets work without phone networks and give family members a direct line to each other over short distances.
Evacuation. Choose two meeting points: one near your home for local emergencies such as a house fire, and one further away in case your street or neighbourhood is inaccessible. Pick places that are easy to find, publicly accessible, and familiar to everyone in your family, such as a park, a school, or a shopping centre. Map the routes from your home to each point using roads your family already knows, and identify an alternate route in case your usual way is blocked.
Supplies. Prepare an emergency kit and store it somewhere easy to grab on the way out, such as near the front door or in the car. Include water, food, medications, first aid equipment, important documents (passports, insurance papers, medical records), a battery-operated radio, a torch, and spare batteries.
How to Keep Your Plan Working
Update your emergency plan whenever you change address, update your medications, or your family grows. Teach your children how and when to call Triple Zero (000), and if possible try to rehearse your evacuation plan.
First aid training can prepare you to treat injuries during a disaster. Emergencies can leave someone nearby hurt and in need of help before an ambulance arrives. A first aid and CPR course can teach you how to provide that help.
FAQs
Are There Free Templates to Help Me Make an Emergency Plan?
Yes. The Australian Red Cross offers a free RediPlan template and a Get Prepared app that walks families through making a plan step by step, covering contacts, meeting places, medical information, and supplies. State and territory emergency services websites also have free templates and get ready resources. Local councils often provide resources based on the hazards in your area.
Do Employers Have to Show Workers the Emergency Plan?
Yes. Under WHS laws, workplace emergency plans must be readily accessible to workers or displayed in the workplace, for example on a notice board. A summary can be posted rather than the full document, as long as workers can access the complete plan on request.
What Should I Do If My Pet Cannot Stay at an Evacuation Centre?
Most evacuation centres do not accept pets. Before an emergency, contact your local council to find out whether pet-friendly safety options exist in your area.