PrepMTL

Skills ladder

Three layers of household skills — 72 hours, two weeks, two months — plus a fire-making track. Rate yourself honestly and train the gaps.

Skills readiness

0 of 25 competent
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Priority order

If you only have time for a few things, do them in this order.

  1. 1First aid, CPR/AED and bleeding control — most directly life-saving.
  2. 2Communication, evacuation and shelter decisions — prevents separation and poor decisions.
  3. 3Water, sanitation, food and medication continuity — sustains health through a longer disruption.
  4. 4Fire, power, repair and thermal safety — extends capability while reducing new hazards.
  5. 5Navigation, advanced first aid, neighbourhood coordination and recovery — builds resilience beyond the household.
Layer 1 · First 72 hours

Don’t become a casualty

0 of 7 competent
Goal
Protect life, get information, evacuate or shelter safely, and avoid making the situation worse.
Pass standard
Every household member can find the go-bag, radio, flashlight, first-aid kit, water and emergency contacts without instruction, and you have completed at least one evacuation or shelter drill.
Training cadence
First-aid/CPR certification, one evacuation drill, one blackout drill and one family-plan review every 6–12 months.

  • Situational awareness

    Identify the hazard (gas smell, damaged building, flooding, downed line), decide shelter-in-place vs. evacuate, and follow official instructions.

  • Emergency communication

    Reach family, agree on meeting points and an out-of-area contact, and operate without cell service.

  • Evacuation

    Leave quickly with essentials, know two exits from each room and two routes out of the neighbourhood.

  • Shelter-in-place & utility shut-offs

    Seal a room, shut off water, gas and electricity safely where appropriate, and manage dust or smoke exposure.

  • Basic first aid, CPR & AED

    Stop major bleeding, treat burns, recognise stroke or heart attack, use an AED, and give naloxone.

  • Fire safety

    Use an ABC extinguisher correctly (PASS) and know when to evacuate instead of fighting a fire.

  • Light & signalling

    Navigate and signal for help in darkness without screens.

Layer 2 · 3 days – 2 weeks

Sustain the household

0 of 9 competent
Goal
Maintain water, food, sanitation, warmth, medication and basic communications when stores, pharmacies, utilities or transport are disrupted.
Pass standard
Your household can maintain hydration, nutrition, hygiene, essential medications, light, communications and warmth for 14 days without shopping, running water or grid electricity.
Training cadence
One monthly skill session, one quarterly no-power meal, one seasonal gear inspection.

  • Water storage & treatment

    Store, inspect, treat and safely use water: about 4 L per person per day, ~56 L per person for two weeks.

  • No-power cooking

    Prepare simple meals safely without a kitchen — outdoors only, never a stove or BBQ indoors or on a closed balcony.

  • Food planning & rotation

    Build a two-week menu from shelf-stable food your family eats, rotate first-in/first-out, and avoid waste.

  • Sanitation & hygiene

    Manage waste, hand hygiene, surface disinfection and illness risk without plumbing or garbage pickup.

  • Medication continuity

    Track doses, storage, refills and cold-chain needs; keep a two-week-plus supply where feasible.

  • Backup power & device readiness

    Conserve phone batteries, prioritise communications and medical devices, run a generator outdoors only.

  • Thermal management

    Layer clothing, insulate one room, prevent hypothermia in a January outage and heat illness in a heat wave — without central heat or AC.

  • Basic home repair

    Stop a leak, secure a broken window, make a space weather-tight — without touching gas or electrical work beyond your training.

  • Financial continuity & information discipline

    Pay for essentials when cards and ATMs fail; act on official sources (Urgence Québec, your borough, Hydro-Québec) rather than rumours.

Layer 3 · 2 weeks – 2 months

Redundancy, repair, recovery & community

0 of 9 competent
Goal
Operate with reduced outside support, make safe repairs, preserve resources, and help your household and neighbourhood recover.
Pass standard
Your household can operate for several weeks with redundancy, safely perform basic repairs, maintain hygiene and medical needs, coordinate with neighbours and begin organised recovery without unsafe risks.
Training cadence
One advanced course per year, one 48-hour household exercise, one neighbourhood drill.

  • Redundant water security

    Use more than one treatment method (boil, certified filter, chemical) and know their limits; identify safe alternative sources in advance — never drink untreated wild water.

  • Food preservation & rotation

    Use airtight storage, first-in/first-out rotation and safe preservation (drying, canning if trained); don’t depend on refrigeration once power fails.

  • Advanced / wilderness first aid

    Assess a casualty, manage bleeding, burns, fractures and hypothermia, and provide extended care when professional help is delayed.

  • Navigation without GPS

    Move safely with a paper map, compass basics and landmarks; reach predetermined rally points and communicate your location.

  • Shelter & weather protection

    Build or improve temporary shelter, manage moisture and retain heat safely.

  • Home hardening

    Secure loose items, protect openings, stop minor leaks, and make the home more resistant to ice storms, floods and wind.

  • Neighbourhood coordination

    Identify vulnerable neighbours (older adults, people with disabilities, families with infants), share contacts and agree on check-in routines.

  • Damage documentation & recovery

    Photograph damage, preserve records, contact insurers and track expenses; keep IDs, insurance, leases and medical records offline.

  • Team operations & scenario leadership

    Keep the household calm, assign roles, make decisions under stress, and avoid unsafe solo rescues or repairs.

Fire-making track

Fire is a specialty skill, not a first priority — build it after Layers 1–2. Indoors in Montréal, heat and cooking come from safe stoves and blankets, never open flame.

0 of 4 competent

Four levels

  1. 1Beginner

    Use a lighter or matches in a controlled fire pit.

    Gear that supports it: Lighter, stormproof matches, tinder, kindling, water or extinguisher

    How to train: Build a small fire in daylight, then extinguish it completely.

  2. 2Intermediate

    Start a fire in damp or windy conditions.

    Gear that supports it: Ferro rod, fatwood, fire starters, windbreak, dry tinder in a waterproof container

    How to train: Practise with wet tinder and limited fuel while keeping an escape path.

  3. 3Advanced

    Maintain a fire for cooking, warmth or signalling.

    Gear that supports it: Fire pan, grill grate, gloves, water, extinguisher

    How to train: Cook a simple one-pot meal and practise safe extinguishing.

  4. 4Expert

    Use primitive ignition methods as a backup only.

    Gear that supports it: Bow drill, hand drill, flint and steel

    How to train: Learn only after mastering modern methods, in a legal, controlled setting.

Safety rules (always)

  • Check Montréal’s open-fire bylaws (most boroughs forbid wood fires on private property), SOPFEU bans and property rules before lighting anything.
  • Choose a clear, non-flammable site away from structures, branches, dry grass and vehicles.
  • Keep water, dirt or an extinguisher within reach.
  • Never use a grill, camp stove, generator or charcoal indoors — carbon monoxide builds up quickly.
  • Fully extinguish every fire: drown it, stir the ashes, confirm it is cold before leaving.
  • Do not rely on fire during a gas leak, wildfire-smoke episode, high wind or drought.

Progression

  1. Practise ignition in daylight with a lighter and commercial tinder.
  2. Practise one-pot cooking on a camp stove or grill outdoors.
  3. Practise wet-weather fire-starting with dry tinder from a waterproof container.
  4. Practise extinguishing with water, dirt or an extinguisher; verify the site is cold.
  5. Only then try primitive methods (ferro rod, friction) in a legal, controlled setting.

12-month training sequence

A realistic year for a busy household. Each block builds on the last.

  1. 1
    Months 1–2

    Life safety

    0 of 7 competent
    • Complete first aid, CPR, AED and naloxone training.
    • Learn fire-extinguisher use and run a home fire drill.
    • Build the 72-hour go-bag and label utility shut-offs.
    • Create the household communication and evacuation plan.
  2. 2
    Months 3–4

    Household continuity

    0 of 8 competent
    • Build the two-week home kit.
    • Practise water treatment, no-power cooking, sanitation and food rotation.
    • Audit medications, documents, insurance and cash reserves.
    • Run a 24-hour no-running-water or no-power exercise.
  3. 3
    Months 5–8

    Field & repair skills

    0 of 7 competent
    • Learn navigation with a paper map and compass.
    • Practise basic home repairs and weather protection.
    • Begin fire-making in a legal, controlled setting.
    • Take a wilderness or remote first-aid course.
  4. 4
    Months 9–12

    Community & recovery

    0 of 3 competent
    • Join or practise with a neighbourhood preparedness group or civil-security volunteers.
    • Learn light search-and-rescue awareness, team organisation and disaster medical operations through qualified training.
    • Create a damage-documentation and insurance-recovery folder.
    • Run a 48-hour household scenario and a neighbourhood check-in exercise.

Sources & further reading

General guidance adapted for Montréal households. Official instructions from Urgence Québec, your municipality and first responders always take priority.