Emergency contact list template: what to write down and keep offline
Last reviewed 24 October 2026 · 6 min read
Quick checklist
Quick checklist
0 of 8 doneWhy you need an emergency contact list template on paper
Most of us do not know anyone's number any more. We tap a name and the phone does the rest. In a power cut or a network fault, that stops working the moment the battery runs out, the phone is lost or the mast has no signal.
Paper needs no charge and no signal. Anyone in the house can read it, including children and visitors. Be Ready, the government campaign launched on 22 October 2026, asks households to make a plan, and a list of key numbers is part of any good one. This sheet is the part of that plan you can finish tonight.
The template
Copy this onto a sheet of paper, or use the headings in a notebook. Leave the blanks for your own details.
``` HOUSEHOLD CONTACT SHEET Updated: ________ Our address (say this on a 999 call): ______________________
EMERGENCY AND ADVICE Emergency services: 999 (112 also works) Police, not an emergency: 101 NHS advice: 111 Power cut: 105 Gas smell: 0800 111 999 (Great Britain; NI: 0800 002 001)
HOME AND UTILITIES Water company: ________ Energy supplier: ________ Landlord or agent: ________ Home insurer: ________ Council, out of hours: ________
PEOPLE Name / phone / area / spare key? 1 ________________________________________ 2 ________________________________________ 3 ________________________________________ Contact in another area: ________________________
DAY TO DAY School or nursery: ________ Work: ________ GP surgery: ________ Pharmacy: ________ Vet: ________
MEETING PLACES Near home: ________ Further away: ________ ```
What to write down, and why
Emergency and advice numbers
Write 999 first. Add 101 for police when it is not an emergency, 111 for NHS advice and 105 for power cuts. The National Gas Emergency Service number is 0800 111 999. If you smell gas, leave the property and call it from outside.
In Northern Ireland, 105 also works, and you can add NIE Networks' own power-cut number. For a gas smell in Northern Ireland, call the Northern Ireland Gas Emergency Service on 0800 002 001 instead of 0800 111 999. If you are in Scotland, Ready Scotland has local guidance.
Home and utilities
Copy your water company's emergency number from your latest bill or its website, and do the same for your energy supplier. If you rent, add your landlord or agent. If anyone in the home would struggle in a power cut, ask your supplier about the Priority Services Register, which our guide explains.
People
Write the names and numbers of at least three people who would help: a neighbour, a relative nearby and a friend. Mark who has a spare key. Add one contact who lives in a different area. When local lines are busy, a person further away can pass messages between family members. Our family emergency communication plan shows how to agree who calls whom.
Day to day
Add the school or nursery office, your workplace, your GP surgery and your pharmacy. If someone has an allergy or a long-term condition, write it on the sheet, but leave off doses. Speak to your GP or pharmacist about what is useful to record, and do not stockpile prescription medicines beyond what a clinician agrees.
What to leave off
Do not write passwords, PINs, bank details or National Insurance numbers on this sheet. It is meant to be found and read quickly, and it may be handed to a neighbour. Keep important documents separate, as our guide to important documents to keep safe explains.
How to keep your emergency contact list template usable
- Put a copy in your emergency kit. The kit is where you will look.
- Put a copy in your grab bag. A sheet in a waterproof document pouch (Retailer link coming soon) stays readable if the bag gets wet.
- Photograph it. Put the photo in a favourites album on each adult's phone, so it opens without a search.
- Tell everyone where it is. Show children the place, and let them see you use it.
- Check it twice a year. This is our practice, and it fits Be Ready's advice to check kit expiry dates about every six months. Cross out old details clearly and change the date at the top.
Do this today (free)
- Take a sheet of paper and copy the template above.
- Fill in the emergency numbers and your address first.
- Add three people and one contact in another area.
- Take a photo of the sheet and move it to a favourites album.
- Put the paper in the place where you keep a torch.
If you have £10, £25 or £50
These are budgets to plan with, not quotes. Prices change, so check the current price first.
- About £10: a notebook and permanent marker (Retailer link coming soon) for the sheet and for leaving messages.
- About £25: a waterproof notebook (Retailer link coming soon) for a sheet that lasts, and a pack of family emergency contact cards (Retailer link coming soon) so each person has a small card in their bag.
- About £50: the waterproof pouch for the grab bag, if you do not have one, plus the items above.
Questions people ask
What should be on an emergency contact list?
Emergency and non-emergency numbers (999, 101, 111, 105 and 0800 111 999), your water company, energy supplier and landlord, family and friends, an out-of-area contact, school or work, your GP and pharmacy, and your home address. Leave out passwords, PINs and bank details.
Is a paper list better than saving contacts on my phone?
Keep both. Your phone is quick when it works, but a flat battery, a lost phone or a network fault can leave you without a single number. A paper sheet in your emergency kit needs no charge or signal, and anyone in the house can read it.
How often should I update my emergency contact list?
We suggest checking it twice a year and whenever something changes, such as a new phone number, a new school, a house move or a change of energy supplier. It fits neatly into a six-monthly kit check. Cross out old details clearly and write the date at the top.
Who should have a copy?
Everyone old enough to use it should know where the sheet is kept. Put one copy in your emergency kit, one in your grab bag and a photo on each adult's phone. Give a copy to a trusted relative or neighbour, and tell children where it lives.
Sources and further reading
Sources
firesidefolk.com/family-and-home/emergency-contact-list-template-offline · Last reviewed 24 October 2026 · Fireside Folk