Emergency Communication Guide

During an emergency, information saves lives. Knowing what is happening, when services will be restored, whether to evacuate or shelter in place — this is just as critical as having water or food. On July 8, 2022, the nationwide Rogers outage knocked out service for about 12 million Canadians for most of a day — 911 calls failed, Interac debit went down, and even some government services were unreachable. The problem is that emergencies routinely take out the very communication systems we rely on: cellular networks overload or fail, tower backup batteries run flat, and your home internet goes down.

The record 2023 wildfire season forced more than 200,000 people from their homes and strained cell coverage across BC, Alberta, the Northwest Territories and Quebec; the 2021 BC floods and heat dome did the same. Even in smaller events, networks overload within the first hour. Building a backup communication plan is not optional if you want to be genuinely prepared.

The emergency radio: your most reliable lifeline

An AM/FM radio that also receives the Weatheradio Canada band is the most resilient communication tool you can own. Environment and Climate Change Canada broadcasts 24/7 on the VHF band (162.400–162.550 MHz — the same band as the US NOAA weather radios sold here), and the national Alert Ready system pushes risk-to-life warnings to radio and TV as well as phones. Radio transmitters run on backup power when the grid and the cellular network are down.

What to look for in an emergency radio

• Multiple power sources: batteries, solar and a hand crank. A model with all three guarantees you can always power it on, even after weeks off-grid.
• AM, FM and the Weatheradio/VHF band: AM travels farthest, especially at night; FM carries local stations; the VHF weather band delivers Environment Canada alerts. Many radios sold in Canada label this band "NOAA" — it works for Weatheradio Canada on the same frequencies.
• USB output: many emergency radios double as a power bank to top up a phone. A slow charge, but in a crisis it can be the difference.
• Built-in flashlight: a genuinely useful extra that saves space in your kit.
• SOS alarm: some models add a siren and strobe to signal for help.

Keep batteries installed and spares on hand. Do not bury the radio in a box at the back of a closet. In an emergency every minute counts, and you do not want to be hunting for batteries in the dark.

Walkie-talkies: short-range family comms

In Canada, both FRS (Family Radio Service) and GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service) are licence-free for personal use — unlike the US, ISED does not require a GMRS licence. FRS shares 22 channels at up to 2 W; GMRS allows higher power and removable antennas for more range. Real-world range is about 1 to 3 km in town, far less than the "50-km" figures on the box, but more than enough to coordinate a household. Note: the European PMR446 standard is not used here — buy radios sold for the Canadian market.

• Main use: coordinating family members in different places — one at home, one picking up the kids, one getting supplies.
• Advantages: they depend on no infrastructure, run on AA or rechargeable batteries, and are simple to use.
• Limitations: limited range, especially in cities or dense bush. Not for long-distance contact.
• Tip: agree on a channel and a simple code with your family before an emergency, so you are not scanning 22 channels looking for each other. See our recommended FRS/GMRS sets →

Family communication plan

Beyond the devices, you need a family communication plan. It defines how you will reach each other and where you will meet if an emergency hits while you are apart. Public Safety Canada's GetPrepared.ca publishes a free fill-in template, and the Canadian Red Cross recommends practising it at least once a year.

Elements of the plan

• Primary meeting point: a spot near home to regroup if you have to evacuate (a neighbour's, the end of the street, a local landmark).
• Secondary meeting point: a backup location in another part of town in case your area is affected.
• Out-of-province contact: pick a relative or friend in another province as the family "switchboard." Everyone calls or texts that person to check in — long-distance lines often work when local ones are jammed, as seen during the Rogers outage.
• Emergency numbers: carry a printed card. Your phone can die.

Canadian emergency numbers

• 911: all emergencies — fire, police, ambulance. Works from any phone, even with no active plan, as long as a network is up.
• 211: community, social and government services, and disaster information (United Way, available across most provinces).
• 511: provincial road and traffic conditions, including evacuation routes (e.g., DriveBC, 511 Alberta, Ontario 511).
• 811: non-emergency health advice (Telehealth/HealthLink, varies by province).
• Alert Ready: not a number — your phone receives these automatically (see below).

Print these and put them on the fridge, in your grab-and-go bag, and in your wallet. When your phone is at 3% is not the time to be searching the internet for a number.

Your smartphone in an emergency

Your smartphone is powerful but fragile: it depends on its battery, on coverage, and on network infrastructure. To get the most out of it during an emergency:

• Switch to Low Power Mode when you are not actively using the phone. Drop the brightness, close background apps, and turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
• Text instead of calling. SMS uses far less power and gets through more reliably on overloaded networks than a voice call.
• Leave Alert Ready / Wireless Public Alerting on (it is on by default on LTE/5G phones) so you get tornado, flood, wildfire and Amber Alerts automatically — no sign-up needed.
• Keep a charged power bank. See our energy guide to pick the right one.
• Download offline maps of your area. On iPhone 14 and newer, Emergency SOS via satellite (live in Canada since November 2022) can text 911 with no cell signal — hold the phone to open sky.

Quick checklist: your communication kit

• 1 AM/FM radio with the Weatheradio/VHF band, plus battery, solar and hand-crank power
• Spare batteries for the radio
• A pair of licence-free FRS/GMRS walkie-talkies with batteries
• Printed card with 911, 211 and your out-of-province contact and family plan
• A charged power bank for your phone
• Offline maps downloaded to your phone
• A loud emergency whistle

Communications are the category most families forget when they build an emergency plan. Yet knowing your kids are safe, receiving Environment Canada and Alert Ready instructions, or being able to call for help can be the single most important thing in the first hours of a crisis. The emergency planner includes communication gear tailored to the scenario you set up.

Sources: Public Safety Canada (GetPrepared.ca), Environment and Climate Change Canada, ISED, Canadian Red Cross.