Chemical incident kit
Industrial release, transport accident, or wildfire-related air-quality event. Shelter-in-place is almost always the correct first move; the kit makes that survivable.
Chemical incidents in Europe are mostly local, mostly short, and mostly best handled by staying indoors with sealed windows for a few hours. The biggest household failure during these events is not having a way to seal a room quickly, and not knowing what the local emergency channel is broadcasting.
Why this kit, not a generic 72-hour list
A chemical-incident kit for a household near industrial infrastructure looks different from one downwind of seasonal wildfires. The wizard asks about your dwelling type, ventilation system, and the most likely local source, then prioritises items.
What this kit usually contains
A representative slice of the kit a typical European household receives for this scenario. Quantities are tuned to your household and climate when you run the personaliser. Estimated total cost for the items below: €201.
| Item | Quantity | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|
| Plastic sheeting + heavy tapecritical 6 m² of 4 mil plastic sheeting and a wide cloth tape — for sealing one room as a shelter-in-place refuge. |
1 set | €25 |
| Drinking water reservecritical Sealed potable water in cool, dark storage. Split across multiple containers — if one spoils, the rest survives. |
(adults + childrenCount) * 2 * days L | €12 |
| Shelf-stable no-cook food (3 days)critical Nuts, bars, tinned fish, peanut butter, dried fruit. Food that needs no heat, no fridge, and almost no prep. |
(adults * 2000 + childrenCount * 1500) * days kcal | €35 |
| Manual can openercritical A simple, reliable can opener that does not need power. Keep one in the kitchen and one in the evac bag. |
2 units | €6 |
| Basic first-aid kitcritical Adhesive dressings, sterile gauze, tape, gloves, scissors, tweezers, antiseptic, paracetamol/ibuprofen, ORS sachets. |
1 kit | €25 |
| Headlamp + spare batteriescritical A hands-free LED headlamp per person, plus enough spare batteries for one full set. |
adults + childrenCount units | €18 |
| Battery / hand-crank radiocritical A small radio that works without mains power and receives AM/FM and (where available) NOAA/EBU emergency bands. |
1 unit | €30 |
| FFP2 / N95 respirators A small pack of FFP2 / N95 disposable respirators — one per person, plus a spare. |
(adults + childrenCount) * 4 masks | €15 |
| Disposable nitrile gloves A box of disposable nitrile gloves (non-latex to cover allergies), various sizes. |
100 gloves | €12 |
| Hand sanitizer (≥60% alcohol) Two 100 ml hand-sanitizer bottles (≥60% alcohol) — one in the kit, one in the day bag. |
2 bottles | €8 |
| Cotton towels for door-seal (5+) Five cotton bath towels reserved for sealing doors and windows in a shelter-in-place event. |
5 towels | €0 |
| Lidded tubs / large bottles for water cover Two clean 5-10 L lidded containers reserved for covering or storing potable water during airborne contamination. |
2 containers | €15 |
Three habits this week
- Identify the smallest interior room of your home with the fewest windows. That is your shelter room. Pre-position one roll of duct tape and a pack of FFP2 / N95 masks inside it.
- Find out the local emergency-warning channel — SMS service, app, radio frequency, or siren pattern — and write it on the fridge.
- Walk through a "seal the room" drill once. Time how long it takes to close every window, tape doors, and turn off ventilation.
Personalise YOUR chem incident kit — 90 seconds
The list above is the universal half. The wizard asks 6 short questions about your home, household and climate, then adjusts the items and quantities.
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