This household emergency contacts sheet puts verified UK numbers and your own family, medical, utility, property and care contacts in one place. Complete the writable fields, cross out national rows that do not apply to your part of the UK, and keep a paper copy where it can be found during a power cut.
If anyone is in immediate danger, call 999 or 112. Ask for the police, fire and rescue service, ambulance or Coastguard. Follow instructions from the call handler and emergency services even if they differ from this general planning sheet.
Use this contact sheet alongside the UK Home Emergency Checklist or the broader Home Resilience Checklist. It is a contact record, not a substitute for a care plan, fire procedure or incident-specific official guidance.
UK emergency and incident numbers
Circle the rows that apply to your nation and cross out the others. These national or regional numbers were checked when this resource was prepared, but household-specific provider numbers should be copied from a recent bill, official website or service agreement.
| Service | When to use it | Number |
|---|---|---|
| UK emergency services | Immediate danger or a serious incident requiring police, fire and rescue, ambulance or Coastguard | 999 or 112 |
| Police non-emergency | A crime, information or enquiry that does not require an immediate response | 101 |
| NHS urgent medical help in England | Medical help needed now, but not a life-threatening emergency | 111 |
| NHS urgent medical help in Wales | Urgent health advice or urgent primary care | 111 |
| NHS urgent medical help in Scotland | NHS 24 urgent care when the situation is not life-threatening | 111 |
| GP out of hours in Northern Ireland | Urgent medical care that cannot wait until the GP practice opens | Local number: ____________________ |
| Power cut in England, Scotland or Wales | Report or obtain information about a power cut from the local network operator | 105 |
| Power cut or electricity hazard in Northern Ireland | Contact NIE Networks | 03457 643 643 |
| Gas or suspected carbon monoxide emergency in Great Britain | Contact the National Gas Emergency Service | 0800 111 999 |
| Gas emergency in Northern Ireland | Contact the Northern Ireland Gas Emergency Service | 0800 002 001 |
| Floodline in England, Scotland or Wales | Flood information, warnings and registration help | 0345 988 1188 |
| Flooding Incident Line in Northern Ireland | Report flooding on roads, burst water mains or blocked drains when nobody is in immediate danger | 0300 2000 100 |
Gas safety: if you smell gas or suspect carbon monoxide, do not smoke, use a naked flame or operate electrical switches. Open doors and windows if this can be done safely, move away from danger and call the applicable gas emergency service. If someone is seriously unwell or in immediate danger, call 999 or 112.
Home location and access details
Write the address exactly as it should be given to a call handler. Include a flat number, building name, rural location detail or safe access note if these could help responders find the property. Do not put an alarm code, door-entry code or key-safe code on a copy that unauthorised people could see.
| Home address | ________________________________________________________________ |
|---|---|
| Postcode | ________________________________ |
| Landline number, if any | ________________________________ |
| Location or access information | ________________________________________________________________ |
| Building or flat procedure kept at | ________________________________________________________________ |
| Nearby meeting point | ________________________________________________________________ |
| Meeting point outside the immediate area | ________________________________________________________________ |
Household and trusted contacts
| Person or role | Primary number | Backup detail |
|---|---|---|
| Household member 1 | ________________________ | ________________________ |
| Household member 2 | ________________________ | ________________________ |
| Household member 3 | ________________________ | ________________________ |
| Household member 4 | ________________________ | ________________________ |
| Nearby trusted contact | ________________________ | Relationship: ________________ |
| Out-of-area contact | ________________________ | Location: ____________________ |
| Trusted neighbour | ________________________ | Address: _____________________ |
| Authorised spare-key holder | ________________________ | Key arrangement kept separately |
| Temporary accommodation contact | ________________________ | Address: _____________________ |
Tell each person before listing them as an emergency contact. Agree what you may ask them to do, such as relay messages, collect a child, check on a dependant, care for a pet or provide temporary accommodation.
Medical, disability and care contacts
| Service or person | Number | Useful detail |
|---|---|---|
| GP practice | ________________________ | Practice name: ____________________ |
| Local pharmacy | ________________________ | Opening or out-of-hours note: __________ |
| Hospital or clinical team | ________________________ | Team or department: ________________ |
| Mental health crisis or support service | ________________________ | Local route or option: ________________ |
| Carer, care agency or support worker | ________________________ | Out-of-hours number: ________________ |
| Medical or mobility equipment provider | ________________________ | Equipment and reference: ______________ |
| Telecare or personal alarm provider | ________________________ | Power-cut procedure kept at: ___________ |
| Landline or broadband provider | ________________________ | Backup calling arrangement: ____________ |
| Other clinical or care contact | ________________________ | Role: ______________________________ |
Keep detailed medicines, allergy, treatment and equipment instructions in the relevant medical or care plan rather than crowding this sheet. Record where that plan is kept: ________________________________________________
Accessible emergency contact method
- ☐ Voice call to 999 or 112
- ☐ EmergencySMS registration completed in advance
- ☐ 999 BSL app installed or website bookmarked for a BSL user
- ☐ Relay UK or textphone arrangement understood
- ☐ Communication card, device or interpreter requirement recorded
Chosen method and instructions: ____________________________________________________________________
The London Fire Brigade guide to calling 999 explains that EmergencySMS must be registered before it can be used and describes the national 999 BSL service.
Utility, property and insurance contacts
Your energy supplier handles bills and accounts, while the electricity network operator handles a power cut. Record both where applicable. Water arrangements vary by nation and, in England and Wales, by area. Use official supplier tools or a recent bill rather than guessing.
| Service | Contact | Reference or note |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity supplier | ________________________ | Account reference: ________________ |
| Electricity network operator | ________________________ | 105 in Great Britain |
| Gas supplier | ________________________ | Account reference: ________________ |
| Water supplier | ________________________ | Emergency or leak line: _____________ |
| Wastewater or sewerage provider, if different | ________________________ | Emergency line: ___________________ |
| Landlord, housing association or letting agent | ________________________ | Out-of-hours repairs: _______________ |
| Freeholder or managing agent | ________________________ | Building emergency line: ____________ |
| Buildings insurer | ________________________ | Policy and claims line: ______________ |
| Contents insurer | ________________________ | Policy and claims line: ______________ |
| Home emergency cover, if held | ________________________ | Policy reference: __________________ |
| Trusted plumber or heating engineer | ________________________ | Trade or scheme details checked: ☐ |
| Registered electrician | ________________________ | Registration checked: ☐ |
The Ofgem supplier and network operator guide can help households in Great Britain find the correct energy organisation. The Ofwat water company contact list covers England and Wales. Scotland is served by Scottish Water, while Northern Ireland is served by Northern Ireland Water.
Children, dependants and animals
| Responsibility | Primary contact | Backup arrangement |
|---|---|---|
| School, nursery or childcare | ________________________ | Collection contact: ________________ |
| Adult who depends on this household | ________________________ | Backup carer: ____________________ |
| Relative or neighbour to check | ________________________ | Access arrangement: ______________ |
| Vet | ________________________ | Out-of-hours line: _________________ |
| Pet carer, kennel or cattery | ________________________ | Capacity or access note: ___________ |
| Assistance-animal organisation | ________________________ | Reference: _______________________ |
Local information and communication backup
| Information source | Contact or frequency | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Local authority emergency information | ________________________ | Web address or phone: ______________ |
| Building, estate or community contact | ________________________ | Meeting or support point: ___________ |
| Local radio station | ________________________ | FM or DAB: ______________________ |
| National radio station | ________________________ | FM, AM or DAB: __________________ |
| Flood warning account or local flood contact | ________________________ | Area or registration note: ___________ |
| Workplace emergency contact | ________________________ | Reporting arrangement: _____________ |
What to say when you call
- ☐ State the service you need when the emergency operator asks.
- ☐ Give the exact location, address and postcode, plus a landmark or safe access detail if useful.
- ☐ Explain what has happened and whether the danger is continuing.
- ☐ Say how many people are affected and whether anyone may be trapped, injured, missing or unable to leave without help.
- ☐ Mention gas, fire, flood water, damaged electricity equipment or another hazard without approaching it.
- ☐ Explain any communication, mobility, medical or access need that affects the response.
- ☐ Give the number on which you can be called back.
- ☐ Stay on the line, answer questions and follow instructions unless remaining there puts you in danger.
Incident contact log
Use this small log during a prolonged outage, evacuation, insurance claim or property incident. Do not delay an emergency call in order to complete it.
| Date and time | Service or person | Reference and next action |
|---|---|---|
| ________________ | ________________________ | ________________________________ |
| ________________ | ________________________ | ________________________________ |
| ________________ | ________________________ | ________________________________ |
| ________________ | ________________________ | ________________________________ |
Compact emergency contact card
Copy these details onto a small card for a wallet, bag or coat. Limit sensitive information because the card may be seen if it is lost.
| Name | ____________________________________________ |
|---|---|
| Home address and postcode | ____________________________________________ |
| Emergency contact 1 | ____________________________________________ |
| Emergency contact 2 | ____________________________________________ |
| Medical or care plan kept at | ____________________________________________ |
| Communication or access need | ____________________________________________ |
| Household meeting point | ____________________________________________ |
Complete, store and review the sheet
- ☐ Confirm household-specific numbers from a recent bill, official website, contract or service provider.
- ☐ Do not make test calls to emergency or incident-reporting numbers.
- ☐ Do not record passwords, PINs, payment-card details, alarm codes, safe combinations or exposed key-safe codes.
- ☐ Tell emergency contacts that they are listed and agree what help they can realistically provide.
- ☐ Add suitable contacts to each household member’s phone as ICE or Medical ID information, considering who may be able to see it.
- ☐ Keep one paper copy beside the household plan or emergency supplies where it can be found in the dark.
- ☐ Give a copy only to a trusted person who needs it, and destroy obsolete copies securely.
- ☐ UK Prepared recommends checking the whole sheet every six months and immediately after a move, provider change, new diagnosis, change in care, change of school or change of emergency contact.
| Completed by | ____________________________ | Date | ________________ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Last checked | ____________________________ | Next review | ________________ |
| Main copy kept at | ____________________________________________________________ | ||
| Other copy held by | ____________________________________________________________ | ||
Emergency contact resources and official guidance
- GOV.UK Prepare household guidance explains why important numbers, regular medicines, radio frequencies and insurance details should be kept on paper.
- GOV.UK guidance on 999 and 112 explains the UK’s national emergency call service.
- GOV.UK police contact guidance distinguishes emergency calls to 999 from non-emergency reports and enquiries through 101.
- NHS guidance on using 111 explains urgent medical help in England and links to the equivalent routes for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- GOV.UK Prepare power-cut guidance confirms the Great Britain and Northern Ireland outage numbers and covers communications, telecare and medical equipment planning.
- National Gas emergency contacts gives the Great Britain gas emergency number and immediate safety actions. nidirect utility guidance gives the Northern Ireland gas number and utility routes.
- Floodline registration guidance gives the shared number for England, Scotland and Wales. nidirect flooding guidance explains the separate Northern Ireland reporting line.
- London Fire Brigade’s accessible 999 guidance explains EmergencySMS registration, 999 BSL and the information a call handler may need.
