Handbook

Guides

Short, practical, readable offline. Based on the recommendations of Germany's Federal Office of Civil Protection (BBK). See also: Recommended apps.

Bereitsein handbook

The Bereitsein handbook

11 in-depth chapters with drawings in one document – also as a PDF to print (A4) or as a booklet for your emergency bag (A5).

Open handbook PDF (A4)PDF booklet (A5)

What to do in case of …

Storing and treating drinking water Getting through a power cut Evacuation and family plan Floods and heavy rain Severe weather, storms and thunderstorms Heat Fire at home Keeping warm without heating Hygiene and emergency toilet Children in a crisis People who need care, and pets Helping your neighbours Stress and anxiety in a crisis

Getting started

Crisis preparedness basics

Why ten days, what fails first in an emergency and how to start small and without panic.

Supplies

Storing and treating drinking water

How much water you need, how to store and rotate it, how to boil or treat it safely – and what applies during a boil-water notice or after a flood.

Building up food supplies

How much food belongs in a ten-day supply, how to build it up step by step and keep it rotating without waste – and how to eat well without electricity.

Scenarios

Getting through a power cut

What fails when during a power cut, how to keep light, warmth, food and information going – and why you need no extra kit for EMP or solar storms.

Floods and heavy rain

How to recognise your risk, read warnings and hazard maps, protect your home and cellar, act when the water rises – and what to watch out for afterwards.

Severe weather, storms and thunderstorms

What the weather service's warning levels mean and how to get safely through storms, thunderstorms, hail, snow and black ice – at home, on the road and afterwards.

Heat

How to protect yourself and others during heatwaves – and how to recognise heatstroke.

Fire at home

Smoke alarms, reacting the right way, getting out safely – and what to do if the stairwell is full of smoke.

Knowledge

Warnings and communication

How warnings work in Germany, what the sirens mean, how to set up phone alerts properly – and how to reach each other when the network is overloaded or down.

Evacuation

Packing an emergency bag (go-bag)

What goes in the backpack when you have to leave quickly, how to pack it so it carries well – with a children's backpack, a document pouch and a twice-yearly check.

Evacuation and family plan

When to leave, where to go, which route to take – and how to find each other again if you are separated.

Document folder

Which papers you should keep within reach – so that not everything is lost after a fire or flood.

Health

First aid and home medicine cabinet

What to do in an emergency – check, call, push, recovery position, heavy bleeding, burns, shock – and what belongs in your home medicine cabinet. No substitute for a first aid course.

Household

When electricity, gas or district heating fails in winter – keeping one room warm, dressing and sleeping right, heating safely without carbon monoxide, recognising hypothermia and finding warming rooms.

Hygiene and emergency toilet

When water or sewage systems fail – when not to flush, how to build an emergency toilet, keep your hands clean with little water and handle rubbish, nappies and laundry safely.