Printable Emergency Checklists: Every List on This Site, on Paper
Every emergency plan fails in the same way: it exists on a phone, the phone is flat, and the person who wrote it is not home.
Paper solves that. It works with no power, anyone in the house can use it, and — the underrated part — a list on the fridge gets read occasionally, which is how it stays accurate.
Below are nine checklists worth printing. Copy them into a document, print, and put them where they will be used, not in a folder.
The emergency numbers here are Australian. Substitute your own if you are elsewhere — 911 in the United States and Canada, 999 in the United Kingdom, 112 across Europe and on most mobile phones worldwide.
The 10-minute version
- Print the emergency contacts sheet and the medical sheet today. Fridge, wallet, car, and the kit. Those two do the most work.
- Keep each list to one page. A two-page checklist gets read as far as page one.
- Review annually, on a fixed date. Phone numbers, medications, insurers and children’s schools all change, and a wrong list is worse than none.
1. Emergency contacts
Where: fridge, wallet, car glovebox, kit, and one at each child’s school.
- Emergency services: 000
- SES (storm and flood assistance): 132 500
- Police assistance line: 131 444
- healthdirect: 1800 022 222
- Poisons Information: 13 11 26
- Lifeline: 13 11 14
- GP, and after-hours service
- Local hospital
- Pharmacy
- Out-of-area contact — a relative or friend in another state, who becomes the message hub when local networks fail
- Each household member’s mobile
- Schools and childcare
- Vet
- Insurer, with policy numbers
- Electricity, gas and water faults line
- Real estate agent or strata manager
- Two neighbours
2. Go bag
Where: taped inside the wardrobe or on the bag itself.
Water · food for 24 hours · medications and prescriptions · first aid kit · phone and charger · power bank · headtorch · battery radio · cash in small notes · document copies and USB · ID · keys · glasses · change of clothes · sturdy shoes · hat · toiletries · P2 masks · work gloves · pet food, lead and carrier · child essentials · phone charger for the car.
See the go bag checklist.
3. Blackout
Where: fridge, and inside the meter box door.
- Check whether neighbours are also out. If only you, check the switchboard for a tripped breaker
- Report the outage to the distributor — number on your bill and on this sheet
- Torches on. No candles
- Fridge and freezer closed. A full freezer holds about 48 hours unopened; a fridge about 4 hours
- Turn off and unplug sensitive appliances against a surge on restoration
- Leave one light switched on so you know when power returns
- Battery radio on for information
- Check on elderly or medically dependent neighbours
- Never run a generator or barbecue indoors, in a garage, or on a balcony
- If someone depends on electrical medical equipment, ring the distributor’s life-support register now
4. Evacuation, in order
Where: fridge, and beside the front door.
- Decide early. Leaving early is the only reliably safe option
- Phone on and charging in the car
- Everyone accounted for, including pets
- Go bag, medications, documents
- Wallet, keys, glasses, phone chargers
- Photograph the house — rooms, contents, valuables — for insurance
- Turn off gas if instructed; leave electricity on unless instructed otherwise
- Close windows and doors, leave internal doors closed
- Leave a note or message the out-of-area contact saying where you are going and by which route
- Tell one neighbour
- Drive to the agreed meeting point. Do not deviate for possessions
5. Medical
Where: fridge, wallet, and go bag. One per person.
- Full name, date of birth, Medicare number
- Blood type if known
- Conditions
- Medications with doses and times
- Allergies and past reactions
- GP name and number
- Specialists
- Private health fund and number
- Emergency contact and relationship
- Advance care directive location, if any
- Ambulance cover details
This sheet is the single most useful piece of paper in a genuine emergency, and paramedics look for exactly this.
6. Documents
Where: with the document folder itself.
Birth certificates · passports · marriage certificate · driver licences · Medicare and concession cards · insurance policies · property title or lease · mortgage and loan details · superannuation · will and power of attorney · vaccination records · pet registration and microchip numbers · recent photographs of every room · bank details · tax file numbers.
Copies: one encrypted USB in the kit, one set with the out-of-area contact, one in secure cloud storage. See the emergency documents checklist.
7. Home shutdown
Where: inside the meter box, and on the fridge.
- Water main — location and which way to turn
- Gas isolation valve — location, and the spanner hanging beside it
- Electricity main switch — which one, in which box
- Solar isolator — separate switch, and a note that panels remain live in daylight
- Hot water system — isolation point
- Roof access and gutter plugs, if you have a bushfire plan
- Photograph each location and print the photo onto the sheet. In a dark, flooded or smoky house, a description is not enough
8. Pets
Where: fridge, and in the pet carrier.
Carrier or crate per animal · lead and harness · three days of food and water · bowls · medications · vaccination records and microchip number · a recent photograph of you with the pet, which proves ownership · litter and tray · bedding or a familiar item · vet details · list of pet-friendly accommodation and boarding options, researched in advance.
See evacuating with pets.
9. The annual review
Where: the front of the folder. Do it on a fixed date — the start of the fire season works well.
- [ ] Contact sheet still correct — numbers, schools, insurer
- [ ] Medications and doses current on every medical sheet
- [ ] Food in the kit within date, rotated
- [ ] Water replaced if stored in refilled containers
- [ ] Batteries tested, spares in date
- [ ] Power bank charged
- [ ] Torch and radio work
- [ ] Document copies current, USB readable
- [ ] Insurance sums insured still realistic — this is where underinsurance hides
- [ ] Photographs of every room retaken
- [ ] Smoke alarms tested, batteries replaced
- [ ] Go bag clothes still fit the children
- [ ] Emergency plan discussed with everyone in the household
- [ ] Meeting point and out-of-area contact confirmed with everyone
- [ ] Fire and evacuation drill walked through
Thresholds
| Situation | The rule |
|---|---|
| Any checklist | One page. Two pages get half-read |
| Where they live | Fridge, wallet, car, kit. Not a folder in a cupboard |
| Contacts and medical sheets | Print today. They do the most work |
| Home shutdown sheet | Include photographs of every valve and switch |
| Annual review | Fixed date, every year. Wrong lists are worse than none |
| Anything that changed | Reprint the page. Do not amend by hand and hope |
| Digital copies | Encrypted USB in the kit, plus cloud, plus the out-of-area contact |
What it costs
| Tier | Spend | What it buys |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Every list here, typed into a document and printed at home |
| Solid | ~$10–20 | A cheap document wallet, magnets, and a pen on a string beside the fridge |
| Better | ~$25–50 | Laminating the fridge sheets, and a USB for document copies |
| Worth it | ~$60–120 | A fireproof document pouch for originals |
The drill: this evening
- Type the contacts sheet and the medical sheet. Twenty minutes.
- Print four copies of each — fridge, wallet, car, kit.
- Photograph your water, gas, electricity and solar shutoffs and build the home shutdown sheet around those photos.
- Print the blackout and evacuation lists and put them on the fridge.
- Put a pen on a string next to them, so corrections actually get made.
- Set a calendar reminder for the annual review, on a date you will not move.
Frequently asked questions
Why keep emergency checklists on paper?
Because plans stored on a phone fail exactly when the phone is flat or the network is congested, and because anyone in the household can use a sheet on the fridge without needing your passcode. Paper lists also get read in passing, which is how they stay accurate.
Which emergency checklist matters most?
The contacts sheet and the one-page medical sheet — full name, conditions, medications, allergies, GP and emergency contact. Paramedics look for exactly that information, and it is the most useful piece of paper in a genuine emergency.
Where should emergency checklists be kept?
On the fridge, in the wallet, in the car glovebox, in the emergency kit, and — for the shutdown list — inside the meter box. Not in a folder in a cupboard, which is where checklists go to be forgotten.
How often should I review my emergency plan?
Annually, on a fixed date such as the start of the fire season. Phone numbers, medications, insurers, schools and children’s clothing sizes all change, and an out-of-date list can be worse than no list.
What should be on a home shutdown checklist?
The locations and operation of the water main, gas isolation valve, electricity main switch, solar isolator and hot water isolation point — with printed photographs of each, since a written description is not enough in a dark or smoky house.
What documents should I copy for an emergency?
Birth certificates, passports, licences, Medicare and concession cards, insurance policies, title or lease, loan details, superannuation, wills and powers of attorney, vaccination records, pet microchip numbers and recent photographs of every room. Keep copies on an encrypted USB, in the cloud, and with an out-of-area contact.
This article is general information, researched from the sources listed below and not reviewed by a professional in the relevant field. Check the sources, and get advice or training suited to your situation. Read our full disclaimer.