A good Family emergency plan is not just for those in trouble.

If everyone in your family has a copy of your family emergency plan, you will have peace of mind even when there is no disaster or emergency to deal with. Chances are, especially if you have older children, that your family will not all be together when disaster strikes. A few minutes preparing a solid family emergency plan will pay dividends should it ever be required.

Your ability to contact family and loved ones who are NOT in harms way, and assure them that you are safe, is crucial for several reasons. First of all, it will prevent them from potentially exposing themselves to a hazardous situation to assist you. Secondly, they will not be calling 9-1-1 or emergency services to assist you, potentially pulling them away from individuals who are in worse condition than you.

Of course, in the worst case scenario, you may need the contact information from your plan to alert the outside world that you are in need of help. If you cannot contact emergency services, you may be able to contact someone in your emergency contacts list who can either assist you, or help in the effort to get assistance to you.

Click here to download a family emergency plan template developed by fema.