Ready Before the Lights Go Out

Ready Before the Lights Go Out

A firefighter’s complete guide to blackouts, stockpiling and staying safe at home. Seven books in one.

I spent thirty years in the fire and rescue service in the North West, finishing as a Watch Manager. On the night of 5 December 2015, Storm Desmond flooded Lancaster’s electricity substation and around 61,000 homes went dark, on and off, for four days. I was on shift through it.

The calls that worried me most that week weren’t about the water. They were about candles left on windowsills, gas cookers left on for warmth, and older people sitting alone in freezing houses who hadn’t told anyone they were struggling.

In a blackout, it’s rarely the dark or the cold that hurts people. It’s what they do to cope with it, when nobody has told them the safe way. So I’ve written the safe way down for you, in big, clear print.

What’s inside

🔦 Book 1: The First Hour. Exactly what to do the moment the power goes, in the right order. Power cut or tripped switch, the free 105 number, light without fire, why your landline may go dead, the Priority Services Register, and how long your fridge and freezer stay safe.

🔥 Book 2: Fire Safe Through Winter. Heaters, electric blankets, extension leads, chargers and e-bikes, kitchen fires, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, your free home fire safety visit, and the two-minute bedtime check that could save your life.

🧣 Book 3: Warm Without Power. How to set up one warm room, dress the firefighter way, which heaters are safe indoors and which can kill, spotting hypothermia, and the help available with heating costs.

🥫 Book 4: The 14-Day Stockpile. £25, £50 and £100 shopping lists, an eight-week plan to build it slowly, a 14-day meal plan, twelve meals with no cooking, medicines, pets and special diets.

💧 Book 5: Water, Toilets and Hygiene. How much water to store, what’s safe to drink, boil water notices, and the government’s own advice on handwashing and toilets in a long power cut.

🌧️ Book 6: Storms, Floods and Snow. Weather warnings explained, the day-before-a-storm checklist, floods, snow and ice, burst pipes, heatwaves and a car emergency kit.

🚪 Book 7: Getting Out Alive. Your home escape plan, what to do if you’re trapped, planning for anyone who needs extra help, the grab bag, fire safety in flats, and the scams that follow every emergency.

🖨️ 21 printable pages. Blackout kit and stockpile checklists, a monthly safety check, an alarm test log, your home escape plan, a grab bag list, emergency contacts, a medicines list, a neighbour check-in list, and cut-out cards for the fridge.

This book is for you if…

• Power cuts and storms worry you, and you don’t know where to start
• You live alone, or you care for an older parent or neighbour
• You want food and water in the house without panic-buying
• You want to keep warm in winter without putting your home at risk
• You’ve never made a fire escape plan, and you know you should

What you get

A 116-page large-print PDF that you download straight after paying. Read it on your phone, tablet or computer, or print the pages you need. Nothing is posted, and there’s no subscription. It’s one payment, and it’s yours to keep.

My guarantee

Read it, test your alarms, and make your plan. If within seven days you feel it wasn’t worth it, reply to your receipt email and you’ll get every penny back. No questions asked.

You don’t need to be frightened. You need a plan.

Jan

General safety information only. It does not replace advice from your local fire and rescue service, the emergency services or your doctor. In an emergency, always ring 999.