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Measure your distance to help and plan for self-reliance

Find out how long police, fire and ambulance would take to reach you and where the nearest hospital is. The longer the wait, the more first aid, firefighting and communication capacity you must hold on site.

How

1. Ask your local fire service and ambulance service for realistic response times to your address, in good weather and in bad.
2. Drive to the nearest hospital emergency department and time it. Note any roads that flood, snow in or burn.
3. Find out whether your local service can land a helicopter nearby and what they need marked on the ground.
4. Decide how many hours or days the household must be able to cope alone after a storm or fire cuts the road, and size supplies, water and backup power for that period.
5. Register the property with local emergency services if they offer it, and give them a map with gates, water points and hazards marked.

Sources

1. Build a Kit. Ready.gov (FEMA), accessed 2026-11
2. Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs). US Federal Communications Commission, accessed 2026-11

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