There are many reasons to have a list of important phone numbers close to each phone in your home as well as in your 72-hour kit. Having important names and phone numbers on hand may save valuable time and energy during a disaster, especially in a stressful situation when it is difficult to think clearly.
One of the insight articles on our website, Emergency Phone Numbers Bring Quick Response, has some great examples of why it can be crucial to have these phone numbers easily accessible and to make sure that each family member knows where they are located.
A former employee shared the following experience:
"When I was in junior high school, I was home watching my youngest brother while my mom went to the buss stop to pick up my sister. We lived in a rural area, so it was a bit of a drive to the bus stop. It was always more fun with some company along, so my mom took my four-year-old brother and our dog with her.
After about 20 minutes I started to worry about my mom because she hadn't returned with my brother. A few minutes later, my neighbor called to tell me that my mom had been in an accident.
At the bus stop, she and my brother had gotten out of our Jeep. As they waited, the Jeep began to roll down the hill toward where my brother was playing with our dog.
My mom ran after the Jeep to stop it from rolling down the hill. As she grabbed the steering wheel to hop inside, the door hit her, knocking her under the vehicle. As she fell, she turned the steering wheel, which caused the Jeep to turn into the trees, saving my younger brother.
When I heard this from my neighbor, I was scared and anxious to know if my mom was safe. I knew we had my dad's work number, as well as my grandparents' numbers on our phone list. I was able to contact my grandma and let her know what had happened. Hearing my grandma's voice put me at ease and I knew we would be taken care of.
My dad, a firefighter, was called to the scene of the accident while on duty. Upon arriving at the scene, he learned it was my mom who had been injured. He immediately drove her to the emergency room."
We have an easy-to-use form available here with our suggestions of important numbers to have, as well as spaces for your own numbers. Please take a moment to brainstorm a list of possible people or agencies that you or your children would want to communicate with in a variety of emergencies. Make sure your children know where these phone numbers are listed and regularly review possible situations where you would need to use them.
Some recommended emergency contact numbers are:
Any Emergency -- 9-1-1
Poison Control Center
Out-of-State Friends
Local Friends or Relatives
Insurance Contact
Work Numbers
Family Doctor
Dentist
Electric Company
Gas Company
Other suggestions:
Fire Station
Police Station
Animal Control
School Numbers
Neighbors
11 comments
heather
This is such a great idea especially since I have young children, to keep this list in their 72hr kit in case we get separated. Thanks for the tip.
Leah
Now with all our numbers in our cell phones having a hard copy of numbers is a wonderful idea for any type of emergency!
Kasey Q
Our family also includes a list of trusted repairmen such as electrical, HVAC, and plumming. You never know when that type of emergency might occur and it's good to have someone you can trust to call.
Paige
An excellent reminder. Also, if you have a cell phone, it's important to have your ICE (In Case of Emergency) numbers labeled "ICE1", "ICE2", etc. in your phone's address book. Emergency personnel will usually check your phone and then know who to call if you're incapacitated.
Prior Family
Good idea. I hadn't really thought about all of those numbers. I can imagine they would be good for babysitters to have access to as well.
Thanks. Diana
Anonymous
I cannot tell you how hard it truly is to recall information in an emergency. When at the ER recently for a problem, I was grateful to have such a list in my purse. I was able to hand off our medical cards with all our pertinent medical data and the phone lists. This small step of preparedness cannot be underestimated in its value.
Jolene
I don't even recall numbers now, as they're in my "electronic brain." I've always carried a small address book in my purse just in case, but this reminded me to update it in case my electronic brain goes defunct!
SherryLeigh
I wish I had read your article BEFORE the events of the last two days…. my parents are overseas,my aunt died, and not only did my Aunt's family not have our phone numbers, we didn't have any of theirs! Our mom is the keeper of all the contact information, even though we "children" now have children of our own. I am amassing a master list of phone numbers for family as we speak. Also, I realized today that my children are staying home alone now for longer and longer periods of time (newly into their teens), and other than calling 911 there are NO emergency numbers posted for them! THANK YOU FOR THE WAKE UP CALL!!!
kg
If you have a cell phone, it is also good to enter all important emergency numbers into your phone. Whenever we go on a trip, I always enter in the phone numbers of towing companies in a few cities we will be passing. That way, if you need to call a tow truck, you have the number already. Also, the highway patrol number is a good one… I probably won't need that one standing in front of the fridge, but I might need it on the road!
bestgrandkidsever
I always did this when I had children at home but hadn't thought about how important it might be for just the two of us! Thank you for the tip and the print-off!
Molomatic
I hadn't thought about how it might be difficult to recall phone numbers under stress. I am going to make a list and make copies to keep in my emergency kit, car, and by every phone. Thank you for this valuable tip!