UK Home Readiness · 2026 EditionSeven books · One planGet out, stay out, call 999
Jan Rimmer
Retired Watch Manager

When the lights go out, know exactly what to do.

Seven short books, one calm plan, from a retired firefighter who worked through the Lancaster blackout of 2015. What to do in the first hour, how to keep warm without setting the house alight, two weeks of food and water on any budget, storms and floods, and how to get out fast if you ever have to.

See the collection → What’s inside →
7Books in one
30 yrsFire and rescue
7-dayRefund guarantee
Jan Rimmer, retired Watch Manager, in her preparedness room
In a blackout, it’s rarely the dark that hurts people. It’s what they do to cope with it.
I.

The Collection

Seven books. One plan. For the emergencies that really happen.

No doomsday talk. Just the things that happen to ordinary people in Britain: power cuts, storms, floods, a big freeze, and the house fires that follow when people improvise. Each book is short and practical, with checklists you can print.

Book 1: The First Hour

The First Hour

The first ten minutes, 105, light without fire, phones and landlines, the Priority Services Register and the fridge.

Book 2: Fire Safe Through Winter

Fire Safe Through Winter

Heaters, electric blankets, extension leads, chargers, kitchen fires, smoke and CO alarms, and your free home safety visit.

Book 3: Warm Without Power

Warm Without Power

One warm room, layers, safe hot-water bottles, safe and deadly heaters, and spotting hypothermia.

Book 4: The 14-Day Stockpile

The 14-Day Stockpile

£25, £50 and £100 lists, an 8-week plan, a 14-day meal plan, cooking safely, medicines and pets.

Book 5: Water, Toilets and Hygiene

Water, Toilets and Hygiene

How much to store, drinks that count, boil water notices, handwashing and the toilet plan.

Book 6: Storms, Floods and Snow

Storms, Floods and Snow

Weather warnings, the day before a storm, floods, snow and ice, heatwaves and the car kit.

Book 7: Getting Out Alive

Getting Out Alive

Your escape plan, if you’re trapped, extra help, grab bags, flats, scams and looking after each other.

Printables

Printables

21 pages of checklists, logs, plans and cut-out cards for the fridge, the phone and the grab bag.

II.

What’s Inside

Exactly what you get for £27.

116 large-print pages, based on the advice fire and rescue services, the NHS and the government give the public, written in plain English by someone who’s done the job.

Book 1

What to do when the power goes.

  1. The first ten minutes
  2. Power cut or tripped switch?
  3. Torches, not candles
  4. Phones, landlines and the radio
  5. The Priority Services Register
  6. The fridge and freezer
  7. A three-day power cut, hour by hour

Book 2

Keeping your home fire safe.

  1. Heaters: the safe way
  2. Electric blankets and hot-water bottles
  3. Extension leads and adapters
  4. Chargers, e-bikes and mobility scooters
  5. Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms
  6. Your free home fire safety visit
  7. The bedtime check

Book 3

Staying warm, safely.

  1. Why your heating stops
  2. Set up one warm room
  3. Layers, the firefighter way
  4. Safe heat, and heat that can kill you
  5. Hot food and drinks
  6. Hypothermia
  7. Help with heating costs

Book 4

Two weeks of food in the house.

  1. The £25, £50 and £100 lists
  2. The eight-week stockpile plan
  3. A 14-day meal plan
  4. Twelve meals with no cooking
  5. Cooking safely in a power cut
  6. Medicines and pets
  7. Shelf life and rotation

Book 5

Water, toilets and hygiene.

  1. How much water to store
  2. Storing water safely
  3. Drinks that count
  4. Boil water notices
  5. Handwashing with no running water
  6. When the toilet won’t flush

Book 6

Storms, floods and snow.

  1. Understanding weather warnings
  2. The day before a storm
  3. Floods: before, during and after
  4. Snow, ice and burst pipes
  5. Heatwaves
  6. The car emergency kit
  7. Getting your home ready for winter

Book 7

Getting out alive.

  1. Your fire escape plan
  2. Get out, stay out, call 999
  3. If you’re trapped
  4. Planning for anyone who needs extra help
  5. The grab bag
  6. Fire safety in flats
  7. Scams after an emergency

Printables

Print, fill in and keep handy.

  1. Blackout kit and 14-day stockpile checklists
  2. Storm prep and monthly home safety check
  3. Your home escape plan
  4. Grab bag checklist
  5. Emergency contacts and medicines list
  6. Neighbour check-in list
  7. Fridge, fire and carbon monoxide cards
III.

Look Inside

Real pages from the collection.

Tap any page to see it full size.

The first ten minutesThe first ten minutes The candle rulesThe candle rules Heaters: the safe wayHeaters, the safe way The bedtime checkThe bedtime check A 14-day meal plan14-day meal plan Get out, stay out, call 999Get out, stay out
Jan Rimmer

Fire and rescue service · 30 years · Watch Manager

IV.

About the Author

Jan Rimmer.

Jan Rimmer spent thirty years in the fire and rescue service in the North West of England, finishing as a Watch Manager. She’s been to more house fires, floods and frightened people at three in the morning than she can count.

On the night of 5 December 2015, Storm Desmond flooded the main electricity substation in Lancaster, and around 61,000 homes lost power, on and off, for four days. Jan was on shift through it. The calls that worried her most weren’t about the water. They were about candles on windowsills, gas cookers left on for warmth, and older people sitting alone in freezing houses who hadn’t told anyone they were struggling.

This collection is everything she wishes those people had known: calm, practical, and based on the advice the fire service gives the public every day.

You don’t need to be frightened. You need a plan. Get out, stay out, call 999.

V.

Order the Collection

£27 once. No subscription. Yours forever.

Instant access. Read it on any phone, tablet or computer, and print the checklists at the kitchen table. 7-day money-back guarantee: if it’s not for you, reply to your receipt email and you’ll get every penny back.

Ready Before the Lights Go Out, by Jan Rimmer

Seven books · One PDF · Instant download

Ready Before the Lights Go Out

Blackouts, fire safety, keeping warm, a 14-day stockpile, water and toilets, storms and floods, and your escape plan, with 21 pages of printable checklists and cards.

£27Total value £74

What you get for £27:

  • Book 1: The First Hour, what to do when the power goes£9
  • Book 2: Fire Safe Through Winter£12
  • Book 3: Warm Without Power£8
  • Book 4: The 14-Day Stockpile£12
  • Book 5: Water, Toilets and Hygiene£6
  • Book 6: Storms, Floods and Snow£8
  • Book 7: Getting Out Alive£9
  • 21 printable pages: checklists, escape plan, contacts, medicines list and cut-out cards£10
Total value£74
You pay today£27
Get the collection · £27 →

Secure checkout by Payhip · Card, PayPal, Apple Pay · 7-day refund

VI.

Questions

Asked and answered.

Is anything posted to me?

No. It’s a digital book (one PDF) that you download straight after paying. Nothing is posted. You can print any page, and the checklists are made to be printed.

Is this a doomsday prepper book?

No. It’s calm and practical, built for the things that really happen in Britain: power cuts, storms, floods, a big freeze, and keeping your home safe through all of them.

Is the print big enough to read?

Yes. It’s set in large, clear print, and on a phone or tablet you can zoom in as much as you like.

I’m on a tight budget. Will this help?

Yes. Most of it is habits and plans that cost nothing. The stockpile book starts with a £25 list, and shows you how to build two weeks of food over eight weeks for about £10 to £15 extra a week.

Does it replace advice from the fire service?

No. It’s general safety advice based on what fire and rescue services, the NHS and the government tell the public. The book shows you how to book a free home fire safety visit with your local service, which everyone should do.

What if it’s not for me?

Reply to your receipt email within 7 days and you’ll get a full refund.