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Family emergency contact list template
Put the people your household can reach on one clear page. Add a backup, agree on each person's role, and keep the numbers current.
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Print the contact sheet on US Letter paper and complete it privately by hand.
Need immediate police, fire or medical help in the United States? Call 911 first. Give the location and follow the dispatcher's instructions. Use this sheet for routine help and family updates once urgent help is underway. National 911 Program guidance
See what a useful contact looks like
CONTACT SHEET · NEARBY HELPER
- Name
- Casey (fictional)
- Relationship
- Neighbor
- Phone
- [Their confirmed number, including area code]
- Help agreed
- Check in by phone and relay family updates when available
- Last reviewed
- [Date the details were checked together]
- Explain the relationship. A name alone may mean little to another household member.
- Write the agreed help. Keep it specific and realistic. Availability can change.
- Confirm the number. Copy it from the person and check that you can reach them.
Choose people for four roles
- First person to contact: someone who can help coordinate routine household questions or family updates.
- Backup: someone to try when the first person is unavailable.
- Nearby helper: a trusted neighbor, friend or relative close to home. Ask what help they can safely offer.
- Out-of-area check-in person: one person outside your local area whom everyone knows to contact if separated.
One person may fit more than one role; keep a separate backup where possible. These roles are a simple way to organize the sheet. The National Weather Service's family communications guidance includes a neighbor and an out-of-state friend or relative.
Fill it in and try a check-in
- Ask before listing someone. Agree on what they can do and who will receive their contact details.
- Write clearly. Add a name, relationship, phone number with area code, and the help agreed. Date the sheet.
- Make it findable. Keep a paper copy with you, another in an agreed place at home, and the numbers in your phone. Give copies only to the people who need them.
- Try it together. Make an ordinary call or text to your contacts and check that everyone knows whom to try next. Do not call 911 simply to test it.
For family check-ins during a disaster, a short text may get through when a call cannot. FEMA's family emergency communication plan explains why an out-of-area contact and paper copies can help when local communications are disrupted.
A SHORT FAMILY CHECK-IN
[Your name]: I am [status] at [location]. Please update [agreed contact].
For 911, call if you can; text if you cannot call, where the service is available. Text-to-911 is not available everywhere. Read the National 911 Program FAQ.
Keep the sheet private and current
- Keep it limited. Leave out passwords, door codes, account numbers and medical details. A contact list still contains personal information.
- Check it at least yearly and after changes. Review names, numbers, roles and willingness to help, then update the review date. This follows FEMA's communication-plan guidance.
- Replace every old copy. Tell the people who use the sheet when a contact or plan changes.
For document locations and household instructions as well, use the free 10-page family emergency binder. This contact sheet is a small starting point; a fuller emergency plan also covers where to meet and what to do if communications fail.
General preparedness guidance for U.S. readers. This worksheet does not provide emergency assistance.