Singapore's Ready Bag: what SCDF says to pack
Singapore doesn't set a number of days for home supplies. Instead, SCDF asks every household to keep a Ready Bag you can grab if you have to leave home, with a torch, spare batteries, medicines, copies of documents, a first aid kit, a whistle and N95 masks. Water and dry food are listed as optional, so we suggest adding enough for at least 3 days at home.
What this means for your household
Set your household size to see the days, water and food the Singapore advice adds up to.
Keep a Ready Bag for evacuation. Singapore sets no national day count.
Drinking water for 2 people. Singapore sets no daily figure here, so this uses 3 L, the most common official number.
Person-days of food to cover (2 × 3). Pick food that needs no fridge and little or no cooking.
SCDF gives a Ready Bag list but no number of days. We show 3 days as a practical minimum.
What SCDF's Ready Bag includes
Keep it light and somewhere every family member knows. Take it with you if you evacuate.
- A torch and spare batteries
- Personal medication
- Photocopies of important documents in a waterproof folder
- A first aid kit
- A whistle
- N95 masks
- Childcare supplies if you have young children
- Optional: cash, bottled water, dry food, spare clothing, a pocket radio, a power bank, and a list of emergency numbers
How Singapore warns you
- The Public Warning System (PWS) sirens have three main signals: Alarm, All Clear and Important Message.
- Alarm: an air raid or shelling is imminent. Go to a shelter right away.
- All Clear: the threat has passed and you can leave the shelter.
- Important Message: tune in to local radio or TV for an announcement.
- The SGSecure app sounds the same signal on your phone during siren tests and sends alerts in a major emergency. Turn on its notifications.
Singapore-specific steps
- Sirens are normally tested on 15 February and 15 September at 6.20pm, so you can learn what they sound like.
- Many homes have a household shelter. Keep it clear enough to use, and know where your nearest public shelter is.
- Check expiry dates on anything perishable in the Ready Bag and replace batteries regularly.
- Keep a few days of water and food at home too, for a long power or water disruption. The Ready Bag alone is meant for leaving.
Go beyond the minimum: what we recommend
Official lists cover the basics. These are the gaps we see most often when an emergency lasts longer than expected.
- Build toward 7 days of water and food, even if the official minimum is 3. Outages often last longer than planned.
- Keep paper and digital copies of IDs, insurance and prescriptions, so you can prove who you are and get medicines.
- Write the expiry date on everything and check the kit every 6 months, so it doesn't quietly go out of date.
- Plan for phone power: a charged power bank, plus a solar panel or car charger for longer outages.
- Save offline maps of your area and agree a meeting point, in case the mobile network is down.
- An offline survival guide on your phone: HAVEN tracks your kit and expiry dates and works with no signal.Download HAVEN free
Numbers to write down
- 995 · Fire and ambulance
- 999 · Police
- SGSecure app · Alerts on your phone
Keep a paper copy: your phone may be flat when you need it.
Your kit, ready when the network isn't
HAVEN tracks your Ready Bag and home supplies in days for your household, reminds you before medicines, food and batteries expire, and keeps first aid guides offline on your phone.
- Coverage in days for your household
- Expiry reminders
- Offline guides and AI
- Free to start, no account needed
How Singapore compares
Singapore: 3 days. Across the 25 governments we checked, most ask for 3 days, a growing group asks for a week, and Austria asks for the most, at 10 to 14 days. See every country's advice.
Singapore preparedness FAQ
How many days of supplies does Singapore recommend?
SCDF doesn't give a number of days. It focuses on the Ready Bag for evacuation, where water and food are optional. We suggest keeping at least 3 days of water and food at home as well.
What should be in a Ready Bag?
A torch, spare batteries, personal medication, document copies in a waterproof folder, a first aid kit, a whistle, N95 masks and childcare supplies. Optional items include cash, water, dry food, spare clothes, a radio and a power bank.
What do the Public Warning System sirens mean?
Alarm means take shelter immediately. All Clear means the danger is over. Important Message means switch on local radio or TV for an announcement.
When are the sirens tested?
Normally on 15 February and 15 September at 6.20pm. In 2026 there was a one-off test on 1 February to start Exercise SG Ready.
Which number do I call in an emergency?
995 for fire and ambulance, 999 for police.
Official sources
- Ready Bag for Emergency (SCDF)
- Civil Defence Emergency Handbook, 10th edition (SCDF, PDF)
- Public Warning System (SCDF)
- SGSecure app
- Emergency Ready Bag (SG101)
This page summarises official advice and is not a substitute for it. Always follow the instructions of your local emergency services. Last checked 2 November 2026.