Being informed about what to do in an emergency means you can help yourself and others when an incident happens. The information and advice provided over the following pages may seem familiar to you, or just plain common sense, but it cannot be over emphasised how important it is as it could help to save a life in the future.
In a major emergency, if you are not involved in the incident, but are close by or believe you may be in danger, the best advice is to go inside a safe building, stay inside until you are advised to do otherwise, and tune in to local radio or TV for information.
Of course, there are always going to be particular occasions when you should not 'go in', for example if there is a fire, or you are advised differently by the emergency services or your own common sense.
If you find yourself in the middle of an emergency, your common sense and instincts will usually tell you what to do. However, it is important to:
- make sure 999 has been called if people are injured or if there is a threat to life
- not put yourself or others in danger
- follow the advice of the emergency services
- try to remain calm and think before acting, and try to reassure others
- check for injuries - remember to help yourself before attempting to help others
If you are not involved in the incident, but are close by or believe you may be in danger, in most cases the advice is:
- go inside a safe building
- stay inside until you are advised to do otherwise
- tune in to local radio or TV for more information
*Information from Direct.gov - Preparing for Emergencies