Emergency Contact List for Family
The complete Canadian template for building a family emergency contact list — every category, every number, organized so anyone in your household can pick it up and use it when it matters.
When an emergency hits, you don't want to be scrolling through your phone looking for a doctor's number, a neighbour's name, or the school's after-hours line. And if someone else needs to step in — a grandparent, a babysitter, an adult child — they need all of that information in one place, not buried in your contacts app.
A good emergency contact list is more than a few phone numbers on the fridge. It covers every category of person and service your family might need to reach quickly: medical, legal, financial, work, school, and community. It's printed, visible, and shared with the people who would need it most.
This guide walks through every category, tells you what to include for each, and gives you a template structure you can fill in today. If you haven't already, start with our free readiness check to see how prepared your family is right now.
Why You Need More Than Just "Call 911"
911 is for immediate, life-threatening emergencies. But most family emergencies aren't that — or they start as something smaller and escalate. Your child gets sick at school and the daycare needs to reach someone. A pipe bursts and you need your plumber and your insurance agent. A parent has a fall and you need their doctor, their pharmacy, and their neighbour who has a spare key.
Those moments aren't 911 calls, but they're still stressful, time-sensitive, and much easier to handle when the numbers are already in front of you. A complete emergency contact list means anyone in your household — a teenager home alone, a visiting grandparent, a pet sitter — can reach the right person quickly.
The best emergency contact list is the one a babysitter or visiting relative could pick up and use without asking you a single question.
Category 1: Immediate Family and Close Contacts
Start with the people closest to the situation. These are the first calls in any emergency — the people who need to know what's happening and who can make decisions.
Immediate Family & Close Contacts
- Spouse or partner — mobile and work number.
- Adult children — mobile number, and whether they live nearby.
- Parents / in-laws — mobile and home number. Include their address if they live in a different city.
- Siblings — especially anyone who lives nearby or would need to be informed.
- Designated emergency contact — the one person schools, employers, and daycare have on file. This should be someone reliable who typically answers their phone.
- Secondary emergency contact — a backup in case the primary contact is unreachable. This is often overlooked and causes problems when the primary contact is also affected by the same emergency.
- ICE contact on your phone — "In Case of Emergency" contact, programmed into your phone and accessible from the lock screen. First responders look for this.
For iPhone users, set up a Medical ID through the Health app — it lets you add emergency contacts and critical medical information (allergies, medications, blood type) that's accessible from the lock screen without unlocking the phone. Android has a similar feature through Emergency SOS.
Category 2: Medical Contacts
Medical contacts go beyond the family doctor. Think about everyone you'd need to reach in a health emergency — including specialists, pharmacies, and after-hours lines.
Medical Contacts
- Family doctor — clinic name, phone number, and after-hours line. Many Canadian family doctors belong to a network or telehealth service for evenings and weekends.
- Pediatrician — if your children see one. Include the clinic's nurse line if available.
- Specialists — cardiologist, endocrinologist, oncologist, psychiatrist, or any specialist involved in ongoing care. List the condition they're treating next to each name.
- Dentist — for dental emergencies, which always seem to happen on long weekends.
- Pharmacy — your regular pharmacy's phone number and address. This is where someone would go to pick up medications or check prescription history.
- Telehealth / HealthLink — the provincial telehealth number. In Ontario it's Health811 (811), in BC it's HealthLink BC (811), in Alberta it's Health Link (811). These are free, 24/7 nurse lines.
- Local hospital — the nearest emergency department and its phone number.
- Poison Control — each province has its own centre. Look up the number for your area and post it.
- Mental health crisis line — 9-8-8 is the national Suicide Crisis Helpline in Canada, available 24/7. Also include local crisis services if applicable.
If someone in your family has a chronic condition — diabetes, severe allergies, epilepsy, a heart condition — add the specific contacts related to that condition. Include the specialist, the clinic, and any support organization that provides guidance.
Category 3: Legal Contacts
You may not need these contacts often, but when you need them, you need them quickly. Legal emergencies don't give advance notice.
Legal Contacts
- Lawyer or notary — especially if they hold your will, power of attorney, or other estate documents. Include their firm name and direct line.
- Executor of your estate — name and contact information. If you've named an executor in your will, make sure at least one other person knows who it is and how to reach them. Learn more about what happens if you die without a will in Canada.
- Power of attorney holder — the person you've designated to make financial or medical decisions if you can't.
- Trust company — if you've used a corporate executor or trust company, include their contact information.
- Local police non-emergency line — for situations that aren't 911 but still need a police response: theft, vandalism, noise complaints, a found pet.
- Fire department non-emergency line — for concerns about smoke, gas smells, or fire safety questions.
Category 4: Financial Contacts
If something happens and someone else needs to manage your household finances — even temporarily — they need to know who to call. This is especially important for the person in the household who handles all the bills and banking.
Financial Contacts
- Bank branch — the specific branch you use, not just the 1-800 number. Include the branch address and, if possible, the name of someone you deal with regularly.
- Financial advisor or planner — name, firm, and direct phone number.
- Accountant or tax preparer — especially relevant during tax season or if someone needs to file a final return.
- Mortgage lender — the company holding your mortgage, and your payment schedule.
- Landlord — if you rent, include the landlord or property manager's phone number and email.
- Insurance broker — home, auto, and life insurance. Include policy numbers and the 24-hour claims line (the number on the back of your insurance card).
- Pension provider — CPP/OAS Service Canada line, employer pension plan administrator, and any private pension.
- Investment firm — RRSP, TFSA, or non-registered account provider.
For a complete guide to identifying and organizing all your important financial documents, see our article on what documents you need in an emergency. The contact list and the document list work hand in hand.
Category 5: Work and Employment
Your employer needs to be notified in an emergency — both for practical reasons (someone needs to know you won't be in) and for benefits (disability, life insurance, pension). Make sure someone in your household knows how to reach your workplace.
Work & Employment Contacts
- Your supervisor or manager — name, mobile, and direct work number.
- HR department — the main HR contact and the general HR line. This is who handles benefits, leave, and insurance.
- Your partner's workplace contacts — same information for your spouse or partner. Don't assume you'll remember their boss's name in a crisis.
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP) — most Canadian employers offer an EAP that provides free, confidential counselling and support. Post the number.
- Union representative — if you're in a union, include your rep's contact information.
Category 6: School, Daycare, and Childcare
If you have children, school and daycare contacts are critical. Emergencies during school hours — illness, injury, lockdowns, weather closures — require fast, reliable communication.
School & Childcare Contacts
- School main office — phone number and email for each child's school.
- School after-hours line — many school districts have a separate line for closures, emergencies, or after-hours information.
- Teacher contact — especially for younger children, the homeroom teacher's email or the classroom communication app (Seesaw, Google Classroom, Remind, etc.).
- Daycare or before/after school program — phone number and the name of the program supervisor.
- School district office — for transportation issues, district-wide closures, or escalation.
- Authorized pick-up contacts — who else is allowed to pick up your children? Make sure the school has an up-to-date list.
- Babysitter or regular caregiver — name and phone number, especially if they have a key to your home.
Category 7: Neighbours and Community
This is the category most families skip — and it's often the most useful in a real emergency. Neighbours are first on scene more often than any other responder. They have spare keys, they know your routines, and they can be there in minutes.
Neighbours & Community Contacts
- Trusted neighbour(s) — name, phone number, and address. Ideally, at least one neighbour who has a spare key and knows your family.
- Neighbourhood contact — a neighbourhood watch coordinator, condo building manager, or strata council contact.
- Home security company — if you have an alarm system, include the monitoring company's number and your account number.
- Pet care — veterinarian's number, and a friend or neighbour who could care for your pets in a pinch. Include feeding instructions if relevant.
- Place of worship — if applicable, a community leader or congregation contact who could provide support.
- Community services — local emergency shelter, community centre, or municipal services line (usually 311 in most Canadian cities).
How to Format and Store Your List
Once you've gathered all the contacts, format matters. A list that's hard to read won't be used. Here's what we recommend:
- Use a one-page format. Group contacts by category, with clear headings. Use large enough type that someone could read it from a few feet away — at least 12pt, ideally 14pt.
- Print multiple copies. Put one on the refrigerator (first responders are trained to look there), one near the main phone or charging station, and give one to each designated emergency contact.
- Save a digital copy. Take a photo of the completed list and keep it on your phone. Also store it in a shared family note or cloud folder that a trusted person can access.
- Share with caregivers. Give a copy to babysitters, pet sitters, and visiting relatives. They're the ones most likely to need it when you're not reachable.
- Update at least annually. Phone numbers change, doctors retire, neighbours move. Set a reminder — perhaps when you update your document organization system — to review and refresh the list.
Ready File's DIY kit includes a printable emergency contact template that covers every category above, plus a fillable digital version. And our guided process walks you through building the complete list step by step.
Special Considerations for Canadian Families
A few things are specific to life in Canada that are worth calling out:
- Provincial health lines: 811 connects you to a registered nurse 24/7 in most provinces (Ontario, BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Quebec uses 811 for Info-Santé). This is a free service — use it instead of going to emerg for non-urgent concerns.
- Extreme weather: Canadian winters bring ice storms, blizzards, and power outages. Include your utility company's outage line and, if you have one, your generator or alternative heating plan. Environment Canada weather alerts are also worth bookmarking.
- Bilingual services: If you live in Quebec or a bilingual community, note whether your contacts can serve family members in both official languages.
- Remote and rural communities: If you live in a rural area, note the nearest hospital, the distance to emergency services, and whether air ambulance (Medevac) is available in your region.
- Travel considerations: If family members travel frequently for work or live part of the year elsewhere (snowbirds), include the contact information for both locations.
Is your family ready for the call no one expects?
Take the free 5-minute readiness check to see where your emergency contact list — and the rest of your family readiness plan — has gaps. Then use the DIY kit to close them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who should be on a family emergency contact list?
Your list should include immediate family members, your family doctor and key specialists, your dentist, your lawyer or notary, your financial advisor or bank branch, insurance providers, employers, school or daycare contacts, and at least one trusted neighbour. You should also include emergency services (911), your provincial health line (811), and non-emergency lines for your local police and fire departments.
Where should I keep my emergency contact list?
Keep a printed copy on your refrigerator or a visible spot near your home phone — first responders are trained to look there. Keep a digital copy on your phone, and share a copy with at least one trusted person outside your household, like a neighbour or family member. Update the list at least once a year.
What is the emergency number in Canada?
911 is the primary emergency number across Canada for police, fire, and medical emergencies. For non-urgent health concerns, call 811 in most provinces to reach a registered nurse (Health811 in Ontario, HealthLink BC, Health Link Alberta, etc.). For municipal services like road conditions, waste collection, or bylaw issues, call 311 in most major cities. Each province also has its own poison control number — look yours up.
How do I create an ICE contact on my phone?
ICE stands for In Case of Emergency. On both iPhone and Android, create a contact named "ICE — [Name]" with your emergency contact's number. On iPhone, also set up a Medical ID through the Health app: add emergency contacts, blood type, allergies, and medications. This information is accessible from the lock screen without unlocking the phone, which is what first responders look for.