Are You Ready? A Preparedness Guide for Every Family

Being ready for an emergency is less about predicting what will happen and more about having a few things sorted before it does. This guide covers what that means in practice, and how the PBS 125-in-1 Survival Kit fits in.

Four areas that matter when something goes wrong

Most unplanned moments, from a breakdown on a back road to a night without power, come down to four questions:

Medical: can you clean and cover a cut, or rest an injured arm in a sling, until you can get proper care?
Shelter: can you stay dry and keep warm if you are stuck outside or away from home?
Navigation: can you find your direction if your phone is flat or has no signal?
Signalling: can you make yourself seen and heard?

How the kit covers them

Medical: a sealed first-aid bag, with adhesive bandages, sterile gauze pads, alcohol and iodophor pads, bandages, medical tape, a tourniquet, scissors, tweezers and gloves.
Shelter: an emergency shelter with cord, a thermal blanket and two disposable raincoats.
Navigation: a compass, plus a survival bracelet with its own compass and fire starter.
Signalling: an SOS whistle and an LED flashlight.

Around those sit the everyday tools: a multifunctional axe, a shovel, a wire saw, paracord, a fire starter, a fishing tool kit, a knife-and-fork set, carabiners and a user manual. See every item in the kit.

Three steps to being ready

Open it once. Go through the kit with the user manual, so you know what is in it and where each item sits.
Add a battery. The flashlight takes one AA battery, which is not included. Put one in now.
Give it a home. Keep it where you are most likely to need it: the car, the hall cupboard, or with your camping gear.

Where it earns its place

On the road: a breakdown or a long wait, with first aid, a thermal blanket and a raincoat to hand.
At home: a power cut, with a flashlight and first aid in one place you already know.
Outdoors: a hike or a camping trip, with a compass, a whistle and shelter all in one kit.