Field Kit

Stay indoors

Sheltering in place safely, including sealing a room from outside air.

When to stay in

Stay indoors when you are told to, or when outside is more dangerous than inside: chemical or smoke clouds, radioactive fallout, riots, storms or extreme cold.

The UK advice is: Go in, stay in, tune in.

First 10 minutes

  • Get everyone inside, including pets.
  • Shut and lock all doors and windows.
  • Turn off extractor fans, air conditioning, and any ventilation that brings air in from outside. (A modern room-sealed gas boiler can usually stay on, since it takes its air from outside through its own flue. If in doubt, turn it off.)
  • Close internal doors. Move to a room in the middle of the building, away from windows.
  • Turn on the radio for official instructions.
  • Bring water, food, medicines, phone chargers, a torch and a radio into the room with you.

Sealing a room (chemical, smoke or fallout)

Only do this when there is a hazard in the air outside.

  • Choose an inner room with as few windows and outside walls as possible.
  • Use damp towels to block the gap under the door.
  • Tape over vents, keyholes and gaps around windows with plastic sheeting and tape, if you have it.
  • Do not seal yourselves in for many hours. Air in a small sealed room becomes stale. Follow official advice on when to ventilate.

Radioactive fallout

  • The most protective places are a basement or the middle of the lowest floor of a solid building, away from the roof and outside walls.
  • Every extra wall and floor between you and the outside helps.
  • Stay inside for at least 24 hours unless told otherwise. Fallout radiation drops sharply over the first hours and days.
  • If you were outside when fallout arrived: before entering the room, take off your outer clothing, put it in a bag and seal it, then shower or wash gently with soap. Do not scrub hard or use conditioner.
  • Only take iodine tablets if the authorities tell you to.

Staying in for a long time

  • Keep a routine: meals, sleep, things for the child to do.
  • Use a bucket toilet if needed (see No clean water).
  • Take turns listening for news.

At home

  • Best rooms: an internal hallway, a downstairs bathroom, or a basement. Avoid rooms with large windows.
  • Keep a shelter box ready: radio, torch, batteries, plastic sheeting, tape, towels, water, snacks, cards or games.

In the van

  • A van gives almost no protection from radiation and little from chemical clouds. Get into a solid building if you possibly can: a house, shop, office, school or public building.
  • If you cannot reach a building, close all windows and roof vents, turn off the ventilation fans and heater air intake, and drive out of the plume's path only if told it is safe.

Get ready before it happens

  • Pick your shelter room at home
  • Plastic sheeting and strong tape
  • Battery radio and torch kept in or near the shelter room
  • Spare water and snacks in the shelter room
  • Games, books and comforts for the child
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