With the holiday season in full swing, a hot summer still ahead of us and scorching temperatures affecting much of the country, now is the time to consider your communication needs should you find yourself in an emergency situation.

While many of you will consider the physical surroundings of your home, how many of you will think about how you stay in touch with family and friends, or emergency services?

The heavy toll of recent natural disasters is still very fresh in people’s minds, and we are seeing now in Tasmania just how much we rely on the internet and telephone services.

It can be easy to forget one of the first things we do in an emergency is call for help or to let people know we’re ok. The simple steps below will help to make sure you stay connected.

So don’t wait, now is the time to make sure all communication equipment is in good working order.

In case you missed them last summer, here are our top 10 tips to make sure you’re prepared:

1. Think about a Blue Tick mobile phone

Different mobile phones have different capabilities. Telstra’s Blue Tick accreditation program identifies mobile handsets recommended for rural handheld coverage.

2. Fixed line phones

Accordingly, consider utilising a standard fixed line phone that may be more likely to continue to operate in situations of power outage.

3. Have a spare mobile battery

Always have a spare, fully charged battery on stand-by.

4. Carry additional mobile phone chargers

An in-car and a separate AC mains charger are essential in case of evacuation.

5. Small business owners, remember to back-up your data

Keep information safely away from your place of business. Think about using the Telstra cloud to store data in our secure network.

6. Keep essential numbers close

Have a list of essential contact numbers close at hand, including local Police, Fire, SES and Telstra’s fault line – 132203.

7. Use Triple Zero (000) appropriately

Only call Triple Zero in when a situation is life or property threatening, or time critical. If your situation is not time critical but requires the attention of an emergency services organisation, you should call alternate emergency services’ numbers.

8. Keep calls to a minimum

Although Telstra monitors the network closely in times of emergency to try and minimise congestion, keep calls to a minimum during natural disasters to allow people to call emergency service organisations.

9. Gauge the benefits of a satellite phone

If living or travelling in isolated areas, consider purchasing a satellite phone.

10. Consider a Yagi antenna

Having one of these antennas helps to maximise mobile phone reception from your home.

Do you have any other tips? Share them in the comments.

(Images: Flickr/Stephen Cummings, Wikimedia/Rob Pearce)