Plan for an emergency with your family
You and the other members of your family might not be together during a disaster or other emergency. It is important to have a plan that will help you communicate and find each other after the emergency.
You also need to make sure that every member of your family knows what to do if they are at home alone during an emergency.
Create a family emergency plan, and then review it with your family regularly - every six months, when the clocks change - to make sure that everyone understands it and remembers it.
What your emergency plan should include
When you create your family emergency plan, you should:
- Identify objects in your home that could be dangerous during an emergency
- Plan evacuation routes from every room in your home
- Pick two meeting places where you and your family can get back together if you get separated - one close to your home, and one a little further away
- Ask an out-of-province relative or friend to be your family contact person
- Prepare your emergency kits
- Teach family members how to turn off utilities, use a fire extinguisher, and call 9-1-1
- Make arrangements for seniors and family members with special needs
- Save digital copies of important documents - such as birth certificates and financial records - on a memory stick, or make photocopies of them
