Blackout continuity · Replace public services and keep people going · continuity-24

Run monthly and annual readiness drills, including a weekend switch-off

Untested plans fail. Small monthly checks and one full annual blackout test show what really works before you depend on it.

How

Monthly: run the generator under load for 15 to 20 minutes (Champion), test smoke and CO alarms (CPSC), check fuel dates, rotate one fuel can, charge spare batteries and check the radio.
Quarterly: use a manual fallback card for real (hand pump water for a day, cook on the backup).
Annually: a weekend switch-off test. Tell neighbours, then turn off the main supply to everything except life-safety and medical loads, and live on the estate's own systems and fallbacks for 48 hours.
During the test, log battery state, water use, fuel burned, what broke and what was missing. Compare with your autonomy target.
CISA advises including backup power in continuity exercises and reassessing periodically; the UK community toolkit asks communities to practise with scenarios and update plans.
Afterwards, update the dependency table (continuity-1), spares register and plan. Build on the trial run in living-1 and the family drills in safety-24.

Safety: Keep medical devices, CO alarms and smoke alarms powered throughout the test.

Portable generator maintenance schedule and checklist. Champion Power Equipment, accessed 2026-11
What to know about generators. US Consumer Product Safety Commission, accessed 2026-11
Ten Steps of Resilient Power. US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), accessed 2026-11
Community emergency plan toolkit (Cabinet Office guidance adapted by Hampshire and Isle of Wight LRF). Test Valley Borough Council, accessed 2026-11