Safety guidelines for rocket and missile fire over Israel.

Last Updated on May 30, 2018

Pikud Haoref safety guidelines for rocket and missile fire.

Alerts, secure areas and preparing your family and home.

The Home-Front Command (Pikud HaOref) is the national authority for  civil protection.  They oversee the safety of the public during emergency situations like rocket and missile threats, wars, terror threats, natural disasters and dealing with dangerous substances.

In general, The Home Front Command’s guidelines, to ensure your personal safety during rocket and missile fire, suggest the following:

1. Know how much time you need to get into a safe and secure area (bomb shelter, safe-room etc.)
2. Choose your secure area according to the timetable provided by the Home Front Command
3. Prepare and equip your secure area.
4. Sign up for location alerts.  The Home Front Command app, available in 4 languages, provides real-time life-saving alerts, instructions and information.  Set your location and  get an alert on the App.

• Israel emergency telephone numbers
• How do I call the emergency services?

Prepare shelters & secure areas

After a long time of disuse,  now is the time to clear away the junk  that might have accumulated in your nearest bomb shelter and prepare these secure areas in case of an emergency

1. Clear the Ma’mad – the secure room in your apartment (built in accordance with national building codes and regulations).  Older apartments do not have them.
2. Ma’mak – If your apartment does not have a ma’amad and it takes too long to get to the bomb shelter upon hearing the siren, prepare the ma’mak with your house committee (vad habayit) – a secure room in your building (on each or every other floor)
3. Miklat – a bomb shelter (shared by the tenants in your building or a public shelter). The shared bomb shelter in your building should be easily accessible within the recommended amount of time, via an internal stairwell.
4. A public shelter should only be used if you can get to it within the recommended amount of time upon hearing the siren.
5. If you are outside and cannot reach a shelter, the Home Front Command recommends that you lie on your stomach, face to the ground and your hands protecting your head

• Equip your secure area with these emergency items

Alternative secure areas

If you cannot access any of the above secure areas, the Home Front Command advises that you seek shelter in a stairwell. Use your discretion here; there may be better options than this if the stairwell faces an external wall.

Choose an internal room in your dwelling with minimum external walls, windows, or other openings. Do not choose the kitchen, bathroom, or WC – lots of glass, sharp edges, loose tiles, and other dangerous flying objects.

It is recommended that Gaza Envelope residents of communities who have only 15 – 30 seconds to reach a secure area choose an area in their home furthest from the source of attack.

Remember – Do not use elevators during an emergency!