Home Power Outage Playbook
Know what to do in the first hour. The fridge clock, safe light and heat, medical devices, and backup power without the risks. Built for the night the lights go out.
- ✓A 7-step first-hour checklist and an hour-by-hour guide to the first 24 hours
- ✓The 4 / 24 / 48-hour fridge and freezer clock (USDA), plus a keep-or-toss table
- ✓Safe light, heat and cooling, carbon monoxide rules, and a medical device power plan
- ✓Power banks, power stations and generators compared, with a wattage worksheet
General information only. Not electrical or medical advice. Generators outdoors only. Never connect a generator to home wiring without a transfer switch installed by a licensed electrician. Draws on military-style discipline and structure, with no official military affiliation.
The lights go out. Everyone looks at you.
A storm, a heat wave, a failed transformer. The first hour decides how the rest of the outage goes: what you save in the fridge, how you keep the house warm or cool, and who you check on first.
It gets serious in hours, not days.
An outage feels like an inconvenience until the fridge warms up, the house gets cold, or the night gets too hot to sleep.
The fridge starts the clock.
About 4 hours before the food inside is in question.
The house gets cold.
The oven and the grill are never the answer.
The night gets too hot.
No AC, no fan, and no plan for staying cool.
A dark house that still feels safe.
Kids take their cue from you. When you know what to do, an outage becomes a night of cards by lantern light, not a night of guessing. The Playbook puts every decision on one page before you need it.
- 01Know the first hour. Seven steps, in order, on one printed checklist.
- 02Keep the house livable. Candle-free light, one warm room, and staying cool.
- 03Use backup power safely. The right size, the right place, and never inside.
The first hour, in order.
A 7-step checklist for the moment the power drops. Print it and keep it with a flashlight.
Check your panel.
Find out if it's your house or the whole street, then report it.
Unplug what matters.
Protect electronics from the surge when power returns.
Start the fridge clock.
Write down the time, and keep the doors shut.
Some people can't just wait it out.
A parent on a medical device. Medicine that needs the fridge. A neighbor who lives alone. The Playbook helps you plan for them before the outage.
- 01A medical device power plan: runtime, backup and supplier contacts
- 02A refrigerated medicine sheet to fill in with your pharmacist
- 03A check-in plan for older adults and neighbors, plus pets
When the phone is at 20%.
A battery plan for every phone, a radio for alerts when the cell network is slow, and a family communication card with the numbers nobody remembers.
Pick the right backup for your home.
Power banks, power stations and generators compared, with a wattage worksheet so you buy what you actually need.
Print these first.
The First-Hour Checklist, the keep-or-toss table and the fridge outage plan. Every worksheet prints cleanly in black and white.
Put the outage plan on the fridge and keep the cut-out quick card with your flashlight.
Practice one night before you need it.
The Lights-Out Night Drill: one evening on outage gear only, with a timed plan and a 10-point scorecard. Pairs with the Water Fieldbook 72-Hour Tap-Off Drill and the Food Reserve Fieldbook.
A flashlight in a drawer vs. an outage plan.
Without a plan
- ✕Opening the fridge to check, again and again
- ✕Candles and guesswork for light and heat
- ✕No backup for a medical device
- ✕A generator that's the wrong size, or in the wrong place
With the Playbook
- ✓A 7-step first hour and a 4 / 24 / 48-hour fridge clock
- ✓Candle-free light, one warm room, and CO rules
- ✓A device power plan and a neighbor check-in plan
- ✓A wattage worksheet and generator safety rules
Common questions
What exactly do I receive?
One 44-page digital PDF, delivered after checkout. No physical book ships.
Do I need a generator to use this?
No. The Playbook covers outages with or without backup power, and compares power banks, power stations and generators if you're deciding what to buy.
How long is food in the fridge safe?
Following USDA guidance, about 4 hours for the fridge, about 48 hours for a full freezer and 24 for a half-full one, if the doors stay shut. The keep-or-toss table covers the rest.
Does it pair with the other fieldbooks?
Yes. It points to the Water and Food Reserve Fieldbooks, and the Lights-Out Night Drill pairs with the Water Fieldbook's Tap-Off Drill.
Is this electrical or medical advice?
No. General information only. Follow your utility's guidance, and have a licensed electrician install any transfer switch.
Be the one who knows what to do.
44-page print-ready PDF · First hour, fridge clock and backup power · Lights-Out Night Drill bonus
Digital delivery after checkout. No physical book ships.
