Before

Finding out about local risks can help you better prepare for emergencies. By following these simple steps before an emergency, you and your family can be better prepared to deal with emergencies:

  • Find out what emergencies may affect you - This can be found on the Staffordshire Community Risk Register.
  • Make a household plan - Every household needs an emergency plan (205KB) so members know where to go, what to do and how to reconnect during an emergency. Keep this document in a memorable place.
  • Pack an Emergency Grab Bag of essential items that you may need if you have to leave your home at short notice.
  • Know how to safely turn off your electricity, water and gas supplies (if you’re unsure, ask your gas and electricity company)
  • Create an emergency contact list- In an emergency situation, even a person with the best of memories may not remember critical phone numbers.
  • Make sure you have house insurance and check it covers flooding - Floods are the most common and costly natural disaster. Just a few inches of water can cause thousands of pounds of damage.
  • Plan for your pets - Think ahead about who might help you look after pets during an emergency. Consider locating a pet friendly shelter. Check out our Pet Advice for more information. 
  • Learn first aid - This could give you life saving skills to help your family friends and others in an emergency. You could download an app that helps you deliver first aid in an emergency, such as CitizenAid.
  • Be more Cyber Aware, learn how to protect your family online and prevent cyber crime and bullying.

 

Electrical problems

Electrical problems cause an average of 15,400 house fires each year in the UK, this is 54% of all house fires. Shutting off gas before an emergency can help avoid gas leaks and explosions.

Locate the electric, gas and water shut-off valves and keep necessary tools nearby. Vulnerable customers are able to get a Locking Cooking Valve fitted to their existing gas cooker pipework to eliminate the risk of the cooker being unintentionally turned on or left on.

When you're looking for a gas engineer, checking if they're on the Gas Safe Register is the surest route to safety for you and your family. It's the only list of engineers qualified to work legally on gas appliances.

If you turn the gas off, a professional must turn it back on. Do not attempt to do this yourself.

If you or a member of your family would be particularly vulnerable during an outage, e.g. due to needing electrical medical equipment, a priority service register is available to provide extra support.

Electricity:

Western Power Distribution

Powercut 105

noun_Phone_140415_f53107Electrical Contractors Association: 020 7313 4800

Water:

Seven Trent Water

South Staffordshire Water

United Utilities

Gas:

Cadent Gas

Further information

British Red Cross: how to prepare for emergencies