Protecting Yourself

The emergency services are well equipped to deal with emergency situations, but there is a lot you can do to help. Here is some useful information for more specific emergencies.

General advice about what to do in an emergency

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:

Made 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.

Of course, there are always going to be particular occasions when you should not "go in" to a building, for example if there is a fire. Otherwise: go in, stay in and tune in to local radio or television.

Advice on specific & generic emergencies

You can find out more about planning for an emergency, and some resources from the following websites:

Cheshire Resilience - Preparing for emergencies

Protecting Yourself