Are you Prepared?
Make a Safety Kit
Ask your parents or a trusted adult to help you make a safety kit. Put the items below in your kit to keep your family comfortable during a power failure. Replace batteries, food, and water once a year. Make sure everyone in your family knows where the kit is stored.
- Torches
- A battery-powered radio
- Extra batteries for torches and radio
- A three-day supply of bottled water
- Canned and dried foods
- Manual can opener
- Blankets
- First aid supplies
Power Failure Safety Checklist
Do you know what to do during a power failure? Print this checklist and keep it in a convenient spot so you can find it easily if your power goes off.
- Check and see if your neighbours have electricity. If they do, ask an adult to check your fuses or circuit breakers to rule out problems with electricity inside your home.
- Once you’re sure it’s a power failure, call your local electricity supplier and let them know. Do not call 111 unless you have a real emergency.
- Use a transistor radio and listen to your local radio station for updates.
- Use a torch when it gets dark. Avoid candles because of the fire risk.
- Unplug computers, TVs, VCRs, and other sensitive appliances. This will avoid possible damage when electricity comes back on.
- Turn off all but one of the lights that were on, so you will notice when electricity is restored.
- Turn off heat–producing appliances like electric irons and heaters to prevent fires in case no one is home when power is restored.
- Traffic lights and railroad crossings may not work. If you are in a car, remind the driver to stop, look, and listen for cross traffic.
- If you are stuck in a lift, stay there and wait for help. Never try to climb out between floors.
Browse our Knowledge Base
Did you know?
Our Tree Cutters are trained in climbing techniques similar to abseiling or mountain climbing. They use the same types of ropes, and attachments such as a caribiner - which is like a very large safety pin.