Cold, no heating: what to do, step by step
No heating, freezing. Below: what to do right away, what next, when to call 112 and what to avoid. The same instructions are in the free SurvivalZone app and work without internet.
First, right now
- Pick one room, ideally a small one, and close the doors to the rest of the home. Keep only that room warm.
- Dress everyone in layers: hats, socks, several thin layers. Get blankets and sleeping bags ready.
- Block gaps under doors and around windows with towels or blankets. Cover the windows at night.
Then
- Sleep together in one room. Check on children and older people more often.
- Have warm drinks from a flask and eat regularly. Your body needs energy to stay warm.
- A bottle of warm water wrapped in a towel works as a hot-water bottle.
- Open curtains on the sunny side during the day, close them in the evening.
When to call 112
Signs of hypothermia: shivering suddenly stops, confusion, drowsiness, pale or blue skin. Also suspected carbon monoxide poisoning.
What not to do
- Never warm yourself with a gas oven, barbecue, charcoal or a generator indoors. Carbon monoxide has no smell and kills in your sleep.
- Don't drink alcohol "to warm up". It makes you lose heat faster.
Keep it on your phone
SurvivalZone is a free app for every emergency, with no account and no app store. It works without internet and shows the nearest shelters and help points, local radio, a 72-hour plan and a mountain trip planner.
Other scenarios
- ⚡ Power cut
- 🚱 No water or unsafe tap water
- 🌊 Flood, water coming in
- 🎒 Evacuation in 10 minutes
- 🔥 Fire in the building
- 🌡️ Heatwave
- 🌪️ Storm, strong wind
- 🚀 Air attack: missiles, drones, bombs
- 📢 Sirens, alarm, air contamination
- 📵 No signal, no internet
- ❤️ Someone is unconscious
- 🌍 Earthquake
- ⛵ Storm at sea, no internet
- 🚗 Road accident
- ☠️ Carbon monoxide or gas leak
- ❄️ Stuck in a car in a snowstorm
- 🌩️ Thunderstorm outdoors
- 🫀 Heart attack or stroke
- 🏊 Someone is drowning
- 🌲 Forest or grass fire
- 💳 Cards and cash machines not working
- 🦠 Epidemic, dangerous infectious disease
- 🧒 A child is missing
Sources
- Polish government safety guide (MON, MSWiA, RCB, 2025)
- BBK guide "Vorsorgen für Krisen und Katastrophen" (Germany)
- ERC first aid and resuscitation guidelines (European Resuscitation Council)
Official sources are checked automatically every day. Last check: 2026-10-18.
General guidance only; it does not replace the emergency services. If a life is in danger, call 112.