ShakeOut reminder – get ready to drop, cover and hold this Thursday, 27 October

ShakeOut takes place across the world to remind people of the right action to take during an earthquake. Drop, Cover and Hold.

You can also practise a tsunami hīkoi (evacuation) if you're in a coastal area. This year’s New Zealand ShakeOut is taking place this Thursday, 27 October at 9:30am.

At Fire and Emergency, we know preparation saves lives. The better you prepare for emergency events, the more chance we have of keeping our whānau safe.

ShakeOut provides an opportunity to put our plans in place, practise them, and learn where and how we can improve. It’s also a great way to connect with the communities we serve.

Sign up for New Zealand ShakeOut 

To take part in the drill, you can sign up as an individual, brigade or station. It only takes two minutes to sign up and you’ll receive all the information you need to do the drill.

Sign up(external link) and you're in to win a civil defence wheelie bin or grab bag! There's also a whole range of resources to help promote your ShakeOut event.  

Get Ready

As ShakeOut approaches, there are lots of things we can do to get ready for an emergency.

• Identify safe places to Drop, Cover and Hold and practise the drill together
• Check if your office or station is in a  and make plans for a tsunami hīkoi(external link) if you are in a coastal area.
• Get your teams together to discuss the drill and what might happen in a real emergency.
• Get together and fill out a Personal Emergency Workplace Plan(external link).
• Take the opportunity to check your grab bags. Make sure everything is up to date.

Doing the drill

ShakeOut is a self-run drill. You can start it in whatever way works for you.

• Use a bell, whistle or alarm.
• Shout ‘Earthquake Drill’ at the top of your lungs!
• Play the New Zealand ShakeOut Announcement(external link) over your PA system.
• Tune into the official New Zealand ShakeOut Facebook livestream(external link).

Most importantly – Drop, Cover and Hold for 30-60 seconds:

• DROP down on your hands and knees. This protects you from falling but lets you move if you need to.
• COVER your head and neck (or your entire body if possible) under a sturdy table or desk. If there is nowhere to shelter – cover up with your arms and hands.
• HOLD on to your shelter until the shaking stops. If the shaking shifts your shelter around – move with it.

After the drill

After your drill is complete:

• Talk with your colleagues about what you learned.
• Discuss actions you can take to be more prepared.
• Make a Household Emergency Plan(external link) at home.

Share your ShakeOut

You’ve completed the drill, why not share your ShakeOut to encourage others to ‘get ready’ and check out how some of your colleagues got involved.

You can share them on social media with these resources(external link).

Or send them to Communications@fireandemergency.nz and we’ll post them on the Portal.