🎒 Emergency Kit (Go-Bag)

About 45 minutes.

The checklist

• Water: at least 3 L per person per day for 3 days.

  Two litres for drinking, one for cooking and basic hygiene. Replace stored water every 6 months.

• Non-perishable food for 3 days that needs no cooking.

  Energy bars, canned goods, dried fruit, nut butter. Include a manual can opener.

• Flashlight or headlamp with spare batteries.

  Headlamps free both hands, which matters in smoke or at night.

• Battery, hand-crank, or solar radio.

  Cell networks can fail. A radio gets you Alert Ready broadcasts and local emergency stations.

• First aid kit with bandages, gauze, antiseptic, and gloves.

  Add any personal supplies (EpiPen, inhaler, glucose, blood-sugar monitor).

• N95 or equivalent respirator masks for each person.

  Wildfire smoke fine particulate is harmful. Cloth and surgical masks do not filter PM2.5.

• 7-day supply of prescription medications and a printed list.

  Include dosage, prescribing doctor, and pharmacy. Reception-centre nurses can re-fill from a list.

• Cash in small bills, including coins.

  Power outages mean card readers and ATMs may not work. $100-200 in small bills is a good baseline.

• Phone chargers and a fully-charged power bank.

  Your phone is your map, contact list, ID storage, and emergency radio. Keep it powered.

• Copies of ID, insurance, prescriptions, and key contacts in a waterproof bag.

  Driver's licence, passport, insurance policies, mortgage info, recent photos of valuables for claims.

• Whistle to signal for help.

  Carries much further than the human voice and uses no energy.

• Multi-tool or pocket knife, work gloves, and duct tape.

  For minor repairs, sealing dust gaps, or handling debris.

• Change of clothes, sturdy shoes, hat, and rain layer per person.

  Long sleeves and long pants in natural fibres protect skin from embers and sun.

• Toiletries, wet wipes, hand sanitizer, and any infant or hygiene supplies.

  Reception centres provide some basics but quantities are limited.

Sources

This checklist mirrors public guidance from the agencies below. Always confirm current conditions with the agency that issued them before you act.

• FireSmart Canada
• Canadian Red Cross
• PreparedBC
• Firewise USA / NFPA
• Ready.gov — Wildfires

Last reviewed April 17, 2026.