Emergency Preparedness
Scouts BSA · Merit Badge · Health & Safety, Eagle-required
Printable worksheet (PDF)Emergency Preparedness is about being ready to help when things go wrong, at home, in your community, and on the trail. You'll make real plans for your family, practice rescue and transport skills, and learn how communities respond to disasters. It's one of the Eagle-required choices, and the skills last a lifetime.
Why it's worth it
When a storm knocks out power, a pipe bursts, or someone gets hurt on the trail, most people freeze. This badge trains you to be the one who doesn't. You'll build your family's plan and kit, practice rescues that keep you safe too, learn how emergency agencies organize a response, and help your troop be ready to serve. It's Eagle-required for good reason: these are skills your family and community may really need someday.
Start this week
- Ask your family: if we had to leave home in 10 minutes, where would we meet and what would we grab? Write down the answers.
- Ask your Scoutmaster for the name of an Emergency Preparedness counselor, and contact them with a parent copied.
- Check whether you already have First Aid. If not, start it now, since requirement 9 needs it.
- Look up the two or three kinds of emergencies most likely where you live, like floods, wildfires, tornadoes, or winter storms.
Plan ahead: Requirement 9 is the full First Aid merit badge, so start it first or work on both together. Requirement 8 depends on finding a service activity with an emergency group, so ask about one early.
Stay safe
- Practice water rescues only from shore or with a trained adult; reaching and throwing come before going in.
- In a real emergency, call 911 first and never enter a scene with fire, downed wires, or traffic unless it's clearly safe.
Requirements · 10
Every official requirement and part, numbered to match Scouting America, in plain language. Sign off against the official wording (opens in a new tab) (updated 2025).
- Requirement 1
Emergency situations
Tips for this section: Pick 10 emergencies from the list, starting with ones that could happen where you live, and chart prevention, protection, mitigation, response, and recovery for each.
Example for this section: Chart a flood: prevention (don't build in the floodplain), protection (sandbags, moving valuables up), mitigation (raising the furnace), response (evacuate, call for help), recovery (clean up safely, check on neighbors). Then do the same for nine more from the list, like a stovetop fire, a tornado, and a car crash.
- Requirement 1a
Discuss with your counselor the five aspects of emergency preparedness (prevention, protection, mitigation, response, and recovery), including key questions to ask yourself about each
- Requirement 1b
Using a chart, spreadsheet, or other counselor-approved method, show how prevention, protection, mitigation, response, and recovery apply to 10 of these emergencies, and discuss your findings with your counselor. Choose 10 of 21
- Requirement 1b1
Fire on a home stovetop or in an oven
- Requirement 1b2
Flammable liquid fire at home
- Requirement 1b3
Gas leak in or near a home, or from outdoor cooking
- Requirement 1b4
Food poisoning
- Requirement 1b5
Car crash
- Requirement 1b6
Vehicle broken down in the desert
- Requirement 1b7
Vehicle stuck in a blizzard
- Requirement 1b8
Injury in the backcountry
- Requirement 1b9
Boating or water accident
- Requirement 1b10
Toxic chemical spill or release
- Requirement 1b11
Emergency at a nuclear power plant
- Requirement 1b12
Fire or explosion in a public place
- Requirement 1b13
Violence in a public place
- Requirement 1b14
Wildland fire
- Requirement 1b15
Avalanche (snowslide or rockslide)
- Requirement 1b16
Earthquake
- Requirement 1b17
Tsunami
- Requirement 1b18
Major flood or flash flood with loss of water service
- Requirement 1b19
Hurricane with loss of power
- Requirement 1b20
Tornado
- Requirement 1b21
Lightning storm
- Requirement 2
Family emergency planning
Tips for this section: Sit down with your family to make a plan and a kit. Practice your escape route so everyone knows where to meet.
Example for this section: A family plan might list two meeting places (the mailbox, and a relative's or friend's house across town), an out-of-area contact everyone memorizes, and a kit with water, food, a flashlight, a radio, medicines, copies of documents, and pet supplies.
- Requirement 2a
Hold a family meeting to talk through the situations on your requirement 1b chart and make plans for sheltering in place and for evacuating your home; discuss the meeting and plans with your counselor
- Requirement 2b
Create and practice a family plan for escaping a home fire, with a floor plan showing escape routes and a map showing a safe meeting spot; discuss the plan with your counselor
- Requirement 2c
Using the merit badge pamphlet's checklist or one your counselor approves, assemble or check your family's disaster kit for both evacuating and sheltering in place; review with your counselor why each item is needed and how it's used
- Requirement 3
Preventing accidents and emergencies. Choose 1 of 2
Tips for this section: Walk through your home with a parent checking smoke alarms, exits, and hazards, then decide on any fixes together.
- Requirement 3a
With an adult's help, use the pamphlet's home safety checklist or one your counselor approves to inspect a home (or a similar building nearby or at camp) for hazards; give your counselor the completed checklist and discuss what you found
- Requirement 3b
Make counselor-approved emergency prevention plans for five family outings, like a picnic, movie, worship service, beach trip, visit to a relative, or ball game or concert; each plan looks at hazards, proposes prevention, protection, mitigation, response, and recovery steps, and explains why
- Requirement 4
Safe rescues
Tips for this section: Practice reaching and throwing rescues so you help without becoming a victim yourself. Work with a trained adult on any water rescue skills.
Example for this section: Show the order: reach (hold out a pole or branch from the shore), throw (toss a rope or float), row (only with training), and go (only with lifesaving training). For electrical or fire scenes, stop, call 911, and don't become a second victim.
- Requirement 4a
Show how to rescue someone from a live household electrical wire without endangering yourself
- Requirement 4b
Show how to rescue someone from a building filled with carbon monoxide without endangering yourself
- Requirement 4c
Show how to help someone whose clothes are on fire without endangering yourself
- Requirement 4d
Show how to rescue a drowning person, including on ice, using rescues that don't require swimming and without endangering yourself
- Requirement 5
Signaling for help
Tips for this section: Try out signals like a whistle, mirror, or brightly colored ground markers. Practice them on a campout.
- Requirement 5a
Show three ways to get the attention of, and communicate with, rescue aircraft or drones
- Requirement 5b
Show ways to get the attention of ground searchers if you're lost in the wilderness
- Requirement 5c
Show ways to signal searchers on the water if your motorboat or sailboat has capsized or broken down and you're stranded
- Requirement 6
With a partner, show two good ways to move an injured person from a remote area on improvised stretchers that save rescuers' energy while keeping the injured person safe and protected
Tip: Practice building improvised stretchers with your patrol. Use a willing partner and go slowly.
For example: With your patrol, make two improvised stretchers, like one from two poles and a blanket and one from poles slipped through the sleeves of buttoned jackets. Use a willing partner, go slowly, and talk about when moving someone is worse than waiting.
- Requirement 7
Incident management (NIMS and ICS)
Tips for this section: Look up how your county or city handles emergencies. Ask how different groups work together during a disaster.
Example for this section: Explain ICS with a real example: at a big fire, one incident commander is in charge, with sections for operations, planning, logistics, and finance, so fire, police, EMS, and volunteers all know who reports to whom.
- Requirement 7a
Describe what the National Incident Management System (NIMS) is and how the Incident Command System (ICS) works locally
- Requirement 7b
Learn how your community and its leaders manage and train for disasters, and discuss it with your counselor
- Requirement 7c
Discuss how a Scout troop could use ICS to help during an emergency
- Requirement 8
Emergency service
Tips for this section: Plan how your troop would gather and help in an emergency, and look for a service project with a local emergency group.
Example for this section: Your troop's mobilization plan might be a phone tree, a meeting place, and a list of what each Scout brings. For service, help at a Red Cross blood drive, a community preparedness fair, or a disaster drill with your troop.
- Requirement 8a
Troop roles in emergency services
- Requirement 8a1
Discuss with your counselor the duties a Scout troop should be ready for, the training needed, and the safety precautions to take for crowd and traffic control
- Requirement 8a2
Discuss with your counselor the duties a Scout troop should be ready for, the training needed, and the safety precautions to take for carrying messages during an incident
- Requirement 8a3
Discuss with your counselor the duties a Scout troop should be ready for, the training needed, and the safety precautions to take for collecting and distributing supplies
- Requirement 8a4
Discuss with your counselor the duties a Scout troop should be ready for, the training needed, and the safety precautions to take for group feeding, shelter, and sanitation
- Requirement 8b
Write a plan for mobilizing your troop for emergency service; if your troop already has one, present it to your counselor and explain your role in making it work
- Requirement 8c
Using the pamphlet's checklist or one your counselor approves, pack or check your own emergency service pack for when your troop is mobilized, and explain to your counselor why each item is needed and how it's used
- Requirement 8d
Take part in a real or practice emergency service project with a Scout troop, a community agency, at Scout camp, or at a school, and review with your counselor what you learned and practiced
- Requirement 9
Earn the First Aid merit badge
Tip: Work on First Aid early since it builds skills you'll use throughout this badge.
- Requirement 10
Careers and hobbies. Choose 1 of 3
Tips for this section: Talk with a firefighter, EMT, or emergency manager about their job, or try volunteering with a response group.
- Requirement 10a
Interview an emergency services coordinator or civil servant about their disaster management work, their duties, and how they chose the career; discuss with your counselor what you learned and whether it interests you
- Requirement 10b
Name three careers that use emergency services skills; for one of them, research its training, education, certification, experience, and costs, plus job outlook, starting pay, and advancement; discuss with your counselor what you learned and whether the career interests you
- Requirement 10c
Identify how emergency preparedness skills could support a hobby or healthy lifestyle; research extra training, costs, and helpful organizations; discuss what you learned and possible short- and long-term goals with your counselor
Places to visit
Ask an adult to set it up, and go with your family, den, patrol, or crew.
A county or city emergency operations center
See the room where officials coordinate during disasters, with maps, radios, and screens for every agency.
How: Have an adult call the local emergency management office and ask whether they give tours to youth groups.
A fire station
See the engines, rescue tools, and gear firefighters use, and ask how they respond to different emergencies.
How: An adult can call the station's non-emergency number to schedule a visit for your patrol. Be ready to wait if they get a call.
Where it can lead
- Emergency management specialistPlans how a city, county, or company prepares for and recovers from disasters.
- Firefighter or EMTResponds to fires, crashes, and medical calls; many start as volunteers or with EMT training.
- Emergency dispatcherAnswers 911 calls and sends the right help fast.
- Disaster relief workerSets up shelters and supplies with groups like the Red Cross after storms and fires.
- Military or Coast Guard rescue specialistTrains to rescue people from water, mountains, and disaster zones.
Ask yourself
- What emergency worries you most where you live, and how prepared do you feel for it now?
- What did your family learn when you practiced your escape plan?
- How do you think you'd react in a real emergency, and what would help you stay calm?
- What did you see during your service project that showed you how a community helps itself?
- Who in your neighborhood might need extra help in an emergency, and how could your family check on them?
Good questions to ask an emergency manager, firefighter, or EMT
- What's the most likely emergency in our area, and how does the community prepare for it?
- What do families forget most often when they make a plan?
- How do different agencies work together during a big disaster?
- What can teens do to help during and after an emergency?
- How do you stay calm and think clearly on a hard call?
Helpful reads
- Earning a merit badge, step by step, From picking a badge to getting the final signature: how to find a counselor, set up meetings safely, work the requirements, and keep your progress., Youth · Families · 6 min read
- Contacting counselors, experts, and organizations, Email and phone scripts, who to ask for, how to follow up, and how to say thanks, with a parent copied every time., Youth · Families · 7 min read
- Choosing your next merit badge, How to pick a badge you'll actually finish: start with what you care about, balance Eagle-required and just-for-fun badges, and make the most of camp., Youth · Families · 6 min read
For leaders & parents
- Run a mock emergency drill on a campout so Scouts can practice signals, transports, and teamwork.
- Connect Scouts with your local emergency management office or a community response team for service opportunities.
People & places that can help
- Merit badge counselor — Talk with them early; they can explain what's expected.
- Ready.gov (opens in a new tab) — Family emergency plans and kit checklists.
- American Red Cross (opens in a new tab) — Disaster preparedness and first aid training.
- Local emergency management office — Can explain how your community plans for disasters.
- National Weather Service Safety (opens in a new tab) — How to prepare for floods, storms, heat, and winter weather.
- FEMA Emergency Management Institute (opens in a new tab) — Free online courses on NIMS and the Incident Command System.
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Tips, examples, and questions are ideas from experienced leaders, not extra requirements. Your unit leader or counselor decides when a requirement is complete.