If anyone is in immediate danger — fire, strong gas smell, CO alarm, someone unwell — call 911 first. This page is for after everyone is safe, or for emergencies that aren’t life-threatening.
Home Emergency Checklist
When something goes wrong at home, the first five minutes matter most. Find your situation below for exactly what to do, what not to do, and who to call. Print it and stick it somewhere everyone can find.
📍 Five things to find BEFORE an emergency
Walk around your home today and locate these. In an emergency you won’t have time to search.
- Main water shut-off valve — where the water line enters the house (basement, crawl space, garage, near the meter).
- Electrical panel — and check the breakers are labeled.
- Gas meter shut-off — know where it is; you generally won’t touch it yourself, but responders may ask.
- Fire extinguisher (ABC-rated) — kitchen and garage are the classic spots. Check its gauge yearly.
- Your utilities’ emergency numbers — gas, electric, water. Save them in your phone now.
Find your emergency
You smell gas (rotten-egg odor)CALL 911 SITUATION
✅ Do this now
- Get everyone — people and pets — out of the house immediately.
- Leave the door open behind you as you exit; do not stop to open windows.
- Once you are safely away from the building, call 911 and your gas utility’s emergency line.
- Stay out until the gas company or fire department tells you it is safe to return.
⛔ Never do
- Do NOT flip any light switches, ring doorbells, or unplug anything — a tiny spark can ignite gas.
- Do NOT use your phone until you are outside and away from the house.
- Do NOT start a car in an attached garage.
- Do NOT try to find the leak yourself or turn the gas back on later — only the utility or a licensed professional should do that.
📞 Who to call: 911 and your gas utility’s 24/7 emergency number — from outside the house.
Carbon monoxide (CO) alarm is going offCALL 911 SITUATION
✅ Do this now
- Take it seriously even if nobody feels sick — CO is invisible and odorless.
- Get everyone outside into fresh air immediately.
- Call 911 from outside. Tell them it is a CO alarm.
- If anyone feels dizzy, confused, headachy or nauseous, say so — they may need medical attention.
- Stay outside until responders confirm the home is safe.
⛔ Never do
- Do NOT open windows to “air it out” and then stay inside — leave first.
- Do NOT assume it is a false alarm or dead battery and silence it without checking.
- Do NOT re-enter until the source is found and fixed (commonly a furnace, water heater, or vehicle running in a garage).
📞 Who to call: 911 first. Afterwards, a qualified technician must inspect the fuel-burning appliance that caused it before you use it again.
Electrical fire, or an outlet is smoking/sparkingCALL 911 SITUATION
✅ Do this now
- If there are flames beyond something very small and contained: get everyone out and call 911. Property is replaceable.
- For a small contained electrical fire only: use a Class C / ABC fire extinguisher if you have one and the exit is at your back.
- If it is safe to reach your electrical panel without going near the fire or smoke, switch off the affected breaker (or the main).
- For a smoking or scorched outlet with no flames: turn off that circuit at the breaker and stop using the outlet entirely.
⛔ Never do
- NEVER put water on an electrical fire — electricity and water can electrocute you.
- Do NOT open the electrical panel cover or touch wiring — breakers/switches only.
- Do NOT keep using an outlet that sparked, smoked, or smells burnt, even if it “seems fine now.”
📞 Who to call: 911 for any active fire. Afterwards — or for a scorched outlet with no fire — a licensed electrician before that circuit is used again.
Burst pipe or water flooding inACT NOW
✅ Do this now
- Shut off the main water valve. It is usually where the water line enters the house — basement, crawl space, garage, or near the water meter. Turn it clockwise to close.
- Open the lowest cold taps in the house to drain the remaining water out of the pipes.
- If water is near outlets, appliances, or your electrical panel, and you can reach the panel safely on dry ground, turn off power to the affected area.
- Move valuables out of the water and start mopping/toweling — the faster things dry, the less damage and mold.
- Take photos of the damage for your insurance claim.
⛔ Never do
- Do NOT touch electrical outlets, cords or appliances that are wet or standing in water.
- Do NOT ignore a “small” ceiling bulge — water pools above ceilings and can bring them down.
- Do NOT run the heating/cooling system if water may have reached it.
📞 Who to call: A licensed plumber urgently. If water contacted wiring or the panel, an electrician before power goes back on in that area. Your insurer soon after.
Water heater is leaking badly or making loud bangingACT NOW
✅ Do this now
- Turn off the water supply to the heater (valve on the cold-water line at the top of the tank).
- Cut its energy source: for electric heaters, switch off its breaker; for gas heaters, turn the gas control knob on the unit to OFF.
- If hot water or steam is escaping, keep everyone away — scald risk.
- Put a bucket/towels under the leak and clear the area.
⛔ Never do
- Do NOT try to cap, plug, or patch the tank or its relief valve — the relief valve exists to prevent dangerous pressure.
- Do NOT relight or restart the heater after a major leak until a professional has inspected it.
📞 Who to call: A licensed plumber. If you smell gas at any point, treat it as a gas emergency (see the gas section) instead.
Sewage backing up into the houseACT NOW
✅ Do this now
- Stop using ALL water in the house — every flush, shower and laundry load adds to the backup.
- Keep children and pets completely away from the affected area — sewage carries bacteria and pathogens.
- If the area is small, ventilate it (open windows). Wear rubber gloves and boots if you must go near it.
- Take photos for insurance before any cleanup.
⛔ Never do
- Do NOT keep flushing or running water “to see if it clears.”
- Do NOT use a regular shop vac or household vacuum on sewage.
- Do NOT handle significant sewage cleanup without protection — this is one where professional cleanup genuinely matters.
📞 Who to call: A licensed plumber or drain specialist immediately; for larger backups, a professional restoration/cleanup company as well.
Power outage (whole house or neighborhood)HANDLE TODAY
✅ Do this now
- Check whether neighbors have power. If they do, check your main breaker; if they don’t, it is a utility outage — report it to your electric company.
- Keep fridge and freezer doors closed — food keeps for hours if unopened.
- Unplug sensitive electronics (TVs, computers) so the power surge on restoration doesn’t damage them.
- Use flashlights rather than candles where possible.
⛔ Never do
- NEVER run a generator, grill, or camping stove indoors or in the garage — this causes carbon monoxide poisoning. Generators belong outside, far from windows.
- Do NOT touch downed power lines or anything in contact with them — call 911 and the utility.
- Do NOT keep resetting a main breaker that trips again — that signals a fault that needs an electrician.
📞 Who to call: Your electric utility’s outage line. 911 for downed lines. An electrician if the problem is only your house and breakers won’t stay on.
No heat in freezing weatherHANDLE TODAY
✅ Do this now
- Check the simple things first: thermostat set to HEAT and above room temperature, furnace power switch on, breaker not tripped, filter not totally clogged.
- Close off unused rooms and gather in one room to conserve warmth.
- Let faucets drip a little and open cabinets under sinks on exterior walls — this helps prevent pipes from freezing.
- If it will be below freezing for long, arrange somewhere warm to stay for vulnerable people, infants and elderly family members.
⛔ Never do
- NEVER heat the home with a gas oven, stovetop, grill, or any outdoor burner — carbon monoxide risk.
- Do NOT leave space heaters unattended, near bedding/curtains, or plugged into extension cords.
📞 Who to call: An HVAC technician for the furnace. If you ever smell gas near it, treat it as a gas emergency instead.
Sources & further reading
This checklist follows widely published emergency-preparedness guidance from public-safety organizations, including Ready.gov (U.S. federal preparedness), the American Red Cross, and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (fire, CO and generator safety). Always follow instructions from emergency responders and your local utilities first.
📎 Print, cite or share
Publisher: HelpByExperts · iClick Solutions Inc. · Reviewed February 2026 · Free to link to and share. Use your browser’s Print function (Ctrl/Cmd + P) for a clean printable copy — the checklists expand automatically in print.
This guide is general educational information, not a substitute for instructions from emergency services, your utility companies, or licensed professionals. Building layouts, appliances and local rules differ — when in doubt, choose the safest option and call for help.
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