Survival Master Guide Be ready · Stay calm Free guides

Free UK civil-defence guides

Be ready for the emergencies that matter.

Clear, calm, evidence-checked guides for UK households — what to do in the first minutes, days and weeks when the power fails, a dangerous infection spreads, or the worst happens. Free to read online and to print.

Choose your guide What's happening now?
Checked against UK Government · NHS · UKHSA · NESO · Met Office · WHO · FEMA

The guides

Choose your guide

Each guide is free to read online on any screen, or to download as a printable A4 PDF with a pocket quick-reference.

What's happening?

Go straight to what you need

Pick the situation closest to yours — each link opens the right guide at the right section.

The power has been off for hours and isn't coming back UK Crisis Survival → Fuel stations are empty and food deliveries have stopped UK Crisis Survival → A cyber attack has hit the NHS, card payments or the water UK Crisis Survival → The gas has been cut off in winter UK Crisis Survival → Missile or drone strikes on power, fuel or gas UK Crisis Survival → A severe solar storm warning is on the news UK Crisis Survival → Phones and the internet are down UK Crisis Survival → A storm or flood on top of a power cut UK Crisis Survival → A nuclear flash, explosion or attack warning Nuclear Event Survival → Fallout may be drifting towards us Nuclear Event Survival → A new virus is spreading fast Pandemic & Outbreak Survival → Someone at home is seriously ill and no doctor can come Pandemic & Outbreak Survival → A disease may have been released deliberately Pandemic & Outbreak Survival → Someone has collapsed or stopped breathing Emergency Medical Survival → Someone is badly hurt and no ambulance is coming Emergency Medical Survival → A severe allergic reaction, seizure or overdose Emergency Medical Survival → We may have to leave home — or the country UK Crisis Survival → Things are getting unsafe on our street UK Crisis Survival → Caught away from home when it all stops UK Crisis Survival →

Start here

Five things every household should do this month

The same few preparations protect you in almost every emergency — power cuts, storms, outbreaks or worse. None of them is expensive.

  1. 1

    Store water

    At least 3 litres per person per day for several days — ideally two weeks — plus containers to fill at the first sign of trouble.

    How to do it →
  2. 2

    Keep two weeks of food

    Food you already eat, that needs little or no cooking, plus two tin openers. Gluten-free and baby needs stored separately.

    How to do it →
  3. 3

    Build a medicine buffer

    A few weeks of prescriptions, a first-aid kit with a tourniquet, painkillers, rehydration salts and a thermometer.

    How to do it →
  4. 4

    Light, radio, power

    Head torches, a wind-up or battery FM/DAB radio, spare batteries and charged power banks.

    How to do it →
  5. 5

    Make a family plan

    Meeting points, who collects whom, an out-of-area contact — and printed copies of these guides.

    How to do it →
Cover of the Nuclear Event Survival Master Guide
Read online — free Open the PDF

Nuclear attack or accident

Nuclear Event Survival Master Guide

A free, evidence-based guide to surviving a nuclear detonation and fallout: the first 60 seconds, shelter and protection factors, the 7-10 rule, Geiger counters, decontamination, potassium iodide, water, food, and eight worked attack scenarios.

  1. 0 secThe flashDon't look. Drop low behind something solid.
  2. 10–30 secBlast waveStay down, head covered, away from windows.
  3. < 60 secGet insideStrongest core you can reach — basement or centre.
  4. ThenStay insideAt least 24 hours. Fallout can arrive within minutes.
The first 60 secondsFlash, blast wave and what to do second by second. Shelter that worksProtection factors: from a car to a basement core. The 7-10 ruleHow fast fallout decays — and when it is safe to move. Geiger countersChoosing one and reading it in a real event. Decontamination & medicalCleaning off fallout, potassium iodide, radiation sickness. Eight attack scenariosWorked examples: yield, distance, wind, survival.
Cover of the UK Crisis Survival Master Guide
Read online — free Open the PDF

Blackouts, shortages & attacks

UK Crisis Survival Master Guide

A free UK guide to surviving a national crisis — blackouts, solar storms, fuel and gas shortages, food imports cut off, cyber attacks on the NHS, banks, water and the grid, missile and drone strikes, and undersea cable sabotage: ten scenarios played out hour by hour, the first 72 hours, water, a family-of-four food stash (including gluten-free), staying warm, security, staying unseen, self-defence within UK law, car kits, grab bags, and whether to stay, move or leave the UK.

  1. Hour 1Store waterFill the bath and containers while there is pressure.
  2. Day 1–3The rushFuel, cash, medicines — early and calmly.
  3. Week 1–2Empty shelvesRation, organise the street, keep warm.
  4. Weeks+The long haulRoutine, community, decide stay or go.
Ten scenarios, hour by hourFood imports, fuel, NHS, banks, water, grid, gas, strikes, cables. The first 72 hoursWhat to do in the hour, the day and the days after it stops. Water & a family stashQuantities for a family of four — including gluten-free. Warmth without power or gasThe warm-room plan when even gas boilers stop. Safe, unseen & within the lawSecurity, stealth and self-defence that stay legal. Car kit & grab bagsCaught away from home, or moving on foot.
Cover of the Pandemic & Outbreak Survival Master Guide
Read online — free Open the PDF

Pandemics & dangerous infections

Pandemic & Outbreak Survival Master Guide

A free UK guide to surviving pandemics and dangerous outbreaks — new viruses, highly contagious and slow-but-deadly infections, and deliberate release: how infections spread, masks and ventilation that work, isolating a household, and detailed home medical care for when health services are overwhelmed.

  1. EarlyPrepareMasks, medicines, supplies — before the rush.
  2. SpreadingReduce contactVentilate, respirators, fewer close contacts.
  3. PeakIsolate & careSick room, monitoring, know the danger signs.
  4. AfterRecoverRebuild stocks, watch for long-term effects.
Layers of protectionVentilation, respirators, distance and hygiene — what really cuts risk. Masks that workFFP2/FFP3 respirators, fit checks and safe reuse. Isolating a householdShielding, deliveries and coming home safely. Caring for the sick at homeFever, fluids, breathing and a daily check chart. Danger signsWhen an illness becomes an emergency — adults and children. Deliberate releaseWhat to do if a disease is spread on purpose.
Cover of the Emergency Medical Survival Master Guide
Read online — free Open the PDF

First aid when help is delayed

Emergency Medical Survival Master Guide

A free UK emergency medical guide for when help is delayed or not coming: CPR and defibrillators (2025 guidelines), choking, severe bleeding and tourniquets, serious injuries and blast, anaphylaxis, asthma and chest pain, seizures, stroke, diabetic emergencies, overdose, head injury, burns, sepsis, dehydration, heat stroke, hypothermia, poisoning, wounds, broken bones, emergency childbirth, full vital signs for every age, a medicines and antibiotics lookup with adult and child doses, caring for someone for days, and the medical kit to keep. Adapted from medsys.uk.

  1. SecondsLookSafe? Responsive? Breathing normally?
  2. MinutesActCPR, pressure, adrenaline — and call 999.
  3. HoursKeep goingWarm, watched, written down; get them to help.
  4. DaysCareFluids, turning, infection watch, the record.
CPR & defibrillatorsThe 2025 changes, children and babies, and how long to keep going. Severe bleedingPressure, packing and tourniquets — the first three minutes. AnaphylaxisAdrenaline, lying flat, and the mistakes that kill. Emergency childbirthDelivering a baby, the cord, the placenta, keeping baby warm. Medicines lookupCommon medicines and antibiotics: adult and child doses, second line. Vital signs, every ageNormal ranges from newborn to adult, and the NEWS2 score.

Free tools

Calculators, checkers and planners

They run in your browser and work offline once saved. No sign-up, and nothing you type into them is sent to us.

Plan & prepare

Offline mode Save for offline Keep every guide and tool on your phone or laptop, so they work with no signal and no internet. UK Crisis Survival Household stash calculator How much water, food, fuel, batteries and toilet supplies your household needs, from 3 days to 3 months. UK Crisis Survival Family emergency plan Contacts, meeting points, school pick-ups and key numbers in one plan. Print it, with wallet cards. UK Crisis Survival Water treatment calculator Bleach drops for any container, gas for boiling, and how long your stored water will last. Pandemic & Outbreak Survival Bleach dilution calculator Mix household bleach to the 1,000 ppm and 10,000 ppm strengths the NHS uses for surfaces and spills. Pandemic & Outbreak Survival Room ventilation calculator Air changes per hour from windows, fans and purifiers, and what it takes to reach 5 or more.

Health

Emergency Medical Survival Vital signs checker (NEWS2) Breathing, pulse, oxygen, blood pressure and temperature: an adult NEWS2 score or a child's traffic light, with a trend.

Nuclear & radiation

Nuclear Event Survival Fallout arrival estimator How soon fallout could reach you from the distance and wind, and whether to shelter or move. Nuclear Event Survival Shelter protection estimator The protection factor where you shelter, and how much earth, water or books add. Nuclear Event Survival Blast sequence simulator Pick a yield and distance; watch flash, blast, EMP and fallout second by second. Nuclear Event Survival Stay-time & dose budget How long you can stay in a radiation field for a given dose budget. Nuclear Event Survival Dose & exposure converter Convert µSv, mSv, Sv, mrem and rem; put a dose rate in context. Nuclear Event Survival Isotope half-life decay How much of an isotope remains after a given time. Nuclear Event Survival Personal annual dose Your yearly dose from natural and medical sources.

Keep a copy

Free PDF downloads

In a real emergency the internet may be down. Save the PDFs to your phone and computer, and print the ones you need for your emergency kit. Or save the whole site for offline use, guides and tools together.

Nuclear Event Survival

Full Master GuideA4 PDF · 88 pages · 3.8 MB
Open Download
Quick-Reference Pocket GuideA4 PDF · 6 pages · 211 KB
Open Download

UK Crisis Survival

Full Master GuideA4 PDF · 81 pages · 7 MB
Open Download
Quick-Reference Pocket GuideA4 PDF · 4 pages · 515 KB
Open Download

Pandemic & Outbreak Survival

Full Master GuideA4 PDF · 44 pages · 3.5 MB
Open Download
Quick-Reference Pocket GuideA4 PDF · 4 pages · 221 KB
Open Download

Emergency Medical Survival

Full Master GuideA4 PDF · 86 pages · 5.8 MB
Open Download
Quick-Reference Pocket GuideA4 PDF · 4 pages · 1.1 MB
Open Download

Why these guides

Detail most survival advice leaves out

Checked, not copied

Figures come from primary and official sources — risk registers, health services, regulators and the scientific literature — and the sources are named in each guide.

Written for the UK

UK law, UK weather, UK homes and UK services: from petrol-storage limits and knife law to gas boilers that stop in a power cut and when to call NHS 111.

Works offline, on paper

Every guide prints to A4 with a pocket quick-reference, because in a real emergency you may have no power, no signal and no internet.

Questions

Good to know

Are the guides really free?

Yes, all of them. Read every guide online, or download the PDFs to keep. There's no sign-up, no email and nothing to pay. Donations are welcome but entirely optional.

Which guide should I read first?

Start with UK Crisis Survival: long power cuts, storms, fuel and supply problems, cyber attacks and strikes on infrastructure are the emergencies most likely to affect UK households, and its water, food, warmth, security and grab-bag advice applies to almost any emergency. Keep the Emergency Medical Survival guide with your first aid kit. Then read the guide for the specific threat you're most concerned about.

What's in the PDF downloads?

Each guide comes as two A4 PDFs: the full guide and a short pocket quick-reference — Nuclear Event Survival (88-page guide + 6-page pocket guide); UK Crisis Survival (81-page guide + 4-page pocket guide); Pandemic & Outbreak Survival (44-page guide + 4-page pocket guide); Emergency Medical Survival (86-page guide + 4-page pocket guide). Save them to your phone or computer and print them for your emergency kit, because in a real emergency you may not be able to get online.

How current and reliable is the information?

Every figure and procedure is checked against primary and official sources — for example FEMA, the CDC, the WHO and the IAEA for nuclear events, and the UK National Risk Register, NESO, National Gas, the Met Office, Ofcom, the NHS, the National Audit Office, Defra, the Food Standards Agency and the HSE for the UK crisis guide. Sources are named in the guides, and they are updated as guidance changes.

Can I print it or share it?

Print as many copies as you need for yourself, your household and your emergency kit. To share, please send people the link to survivalmg.com rather than re-uploading the files, so they always get the latest version.

Is this medical or official advice?

No. The guides are educational and summarise publicly available guidance. In a real emergency, always follow the instructions of the emergency services, the NHS and your local authorities.