Start a Singapore emergency Ready Bag with a torch and spare batteries, a whistle, N95 masks, a first-aid kit, essential personal medication and waterproof copies of important documents. Keep it somewhere family members can reach easily, including during a blackout. SCDF also lists optional items such as bottled water, dry food, cash, spare clothing, a radio and a charged power bank. SCDF Ready Bag checklist · Civil Defence Emergency Handbook
A Ready Bag helps if you have to leave home. Pair it with a contact plan and a safe route so everyone knows what to do if family members are apart. During a fire, leave by a safe route when you can. Take the bag only if it is immediately available and collecting it will not delay your escape.
- Pack essentials for light, first aid, ongoing care and identification.
- Store the bag where it can be found without lights and keep the exit clear.
- Put contact numbers on paper and test what the family would do if the usual caregiver were away.
On this page · What to Put in an Emergency Ready Bag · Choose a Place the Whole Family Can Find · Plan for Children, Older Adults and Pets · Make a Contact Plan for Separate Locations · Check the Bag as Your Household Changes · Frequently Asked Questions
What to Put in an Emergency Ready Bag
Light and communication
Pack a torch, spare batteries in protective packaging and a short written contact list. SCDF recommends storing batteries separately from devices in the Ready Bag. Add a charged power bank and the right cable if they are useful for your household. If you include a portable radio, test how you would power and tune it. SCDF checklist and storage notes
Whistle and masks
SCDF includes a whistle for attracting attention and N95 masks among its essential items. Keep the whistle where the person carrying the bag can find it. Check masks and other consumables when reviewing the bag. During a fire, follow escape guidance and responders’ instructions. SCDF essential items
First aid and personal medication
Start with a first-aid kit and the supplies your household already uses for essential care. Keep a list of medications and any allergies or communication needs a caregiver should know. Ask a pharmacist or clinician about safe storage and what to do if medication needs refrigeration, is replaced regularly or cannot be kept in a bag. Practise how you would explain those needs to a responder.
Documents and contacts
SCDF recommends keeping copies of important documents in a waterproof folder. Choose what is necessary for your family, and keep sensitive information secure. A simple contact card can list the home address, two trusted adults, and the numbers for school, building management or a care provider. Keep that card accessible without needing to take out private documents in public. SCDF guidance on documents
Water, food and clothes
SCDF lists bottled water, dry food and spare clothing as optional additions. Choose food that meets household dietary needs and can be eaten without the usual kitchen equipment. Keep the bag light enough for its intended carrier. Larger household supplies can stay in a separate place for use when you are able to remain safely at home. SCDF Civil Defence Emergency Handbook
Choose a Place the Whole Family Can Find
The bag should be accessible even in darkness. A convenient shelf near your usual route can work if it is clear of the exit path and reachable by the people who would use it. Check whether a younger child, a visiting caregiver or someone with limited mobility can describe where it is. If they need help reaching it, agree who can retrieve it when safe.
A bag for the person who can carry it
Try lifting and walking with the packed bag on an ordinary day. If it interferes with a walking aid, stairs or helping a child, reduce the weight or change who carries it. SCDF says a household may prepare more than one bag. Decide what can sensibly be split without leaving essential items with the adult who is usually out. SCDF Ready Bag storage guidance
Different arrangements for different homes
If a child moves between households, each household can make a small plan for the days the child is there. A grandparent who receives regular care may keep an essentials list by the care equipment. A shared contact card can help across homes. Practise the route and identify the person responsible at each address.
Plan for Children, Older Adults and Pets
- For an infant, choose a manageable set of care supplies and ask the regular caregiver what gets used first.
- For a child, practise saying the home address and giving a trusted adult’s number. Let adults handle document storage.
- For an older adult or disabled person, write down what they need to move safely and how they prefer to receive instructions.
- For pets, decide who can take the lead or carrier when safe, and where the pet can stay if you cannot go home.
- For anyone with ongoing care, confirm which supplies are genuinely needed during a move and which require special storage.
If a relative communicates mainly in a different language, write the key instructions in words they use. Ask them to show you where the contact list is kept. A household plan should work when the person who originally wrote it is out.
Make a Contact Plan for Separate Locations
Choose one primary person and one backup to gather updates. A child at school should use the school’s emergency instructions. A parent collecting a child should follow the school’s confirmed handover process. Someone at a mall or station should follow instructions for that location. Send a short update when safe, with where you are and what staff have asked you to do.
Try a practice message on a normal evening. “I’m at [place]. I’m with [staff member or trusted adult]. I’ll follow their directions and update you when I can.” A caregiver can reply with the authorised pickup adult or the next time to check in. Keep meeting locations conditional on whether access is safe.
Check the Bag as Your Household Changes
Use a regular occasion such as the start of a school term to check the contents. Replace expired supplies, charge the power bank, test the light, and check whether contact numbers, clothing sizes and medication details have changed. If you move home or change school, update the written addresses and plans. SCDF guidance on maintaining the Ready Bag
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a required commercial kit?
SCDF publishes a checklist you can use to assemble a bag. Start with what the people in your household can safely use and carry.
Should I keep originals in the bag?
SCDF lists photocopies in a waterproof folder. Choose copies appropriate to your family and store originals securely.
Is the Ready Bag the same as household supplies?
The bag is portable and intended to help if you need to leave. Supplies kept at home can cover needs such as spare water, a separate light and household provisions when you can safely stay where you are.
Do I need to collect the bag during a fire?
Leave by a safe route as soon as you can. Pick up the bag only if it is immediately to hand and doing so does not delay escape.
Continue With the Singapore Emergency Playbook
- Flash Flood in Singapore | What to Do on Foot, in a Car or at Home
- Power Outage in Singapore | What to Do at Home, Who to Call and How to Get Help in a Lift
- Scammed in Singapore | What to Do After a Bank Transfer, Phishing Link or Malicious App
- SG Alert and Sirens in Singapore | What They Mean and How Families Can Prepare
- HDB Fire in Singapore | What to Do If Your Flat, Corridor or Block Is on Fire
Official guidance checked 8 November 2026.