How to prepare for dangerous situations
In a dangerous situation, important decisions must be made quickly. Think through various scenarios – how you would have reacted and what you would have done. These kinds of mental drills make you better equipped to act correctly if you should ever end up in a dangerous situation.
Be prepared
Practice is a key element in all emergency planning. Personal emergency preparedness is no exception. Thinking about how you would react if you found yourself in a threatening, dangerous situation can help you make good choices if you should end up in a real incident.
It is of course impossible to prepare for every conceivable situation. Each situation is unique, and what works in one place may not work in another. However, some general pieces of advice can be helpful in planning.
Keep calm
In virtually every dangerous situation, be it a natural disaster, a major accident, a terrorist attack or a crime where one or more perpetrators are behaving threateningly, it is best to keep calm. Focus on getting to safety as quickly as possible, so you can then get an overview of the situation.
Help others
Help people who need help and do what you can, without putting yourself at risk. Warn any other people nearby.
Notify the authorities and listen to their instructions
Notify the emergency services (call 110, 112 or 113) if you can and they are not already on the scene. Keep yourself informed via the radio, television, internet and government social media profiles. Follow advice and instructions from the police and other authorities. Don’t spread rumours.
Avoid overloading the mobile phone network
During a crisis, the mobile phone network can become overloaded, because many people make phone calls at the same time. Only use your phone to make necessary calls. If you want to let people know that you are safe, you can also use social media or messaging apps.
Advice in dangerous situations
- Keep calm and get to safety
- Help others in any way you can, without putting yourself at risk
- Notify the emergency services if they are not already on the scene
- Keep yourself informed and follow any advice from the police or other authorities
- Only use your phone for necessary calls so as not to overload the network