Emergency preparedness in Denmark: the official guidance

Short answer. Danish authorities recommend that every household be able to manage on its own for three days, starting with 3 litres of drinking water per person per day ¹. Denmark has just over 3.6 million shelter places ⁷, warns through about 1,000 sirens and the S!RENEN cell broadcast system ⁴⁵, and recommends keeping iodine tablets at home for people under 40 and pregnant and breastfeeding women ⁶. Facts verified on 2026-10-20.

Who is responsible for civil preparedness in Denmark?

• Styrelsen for Samfundssikkerhed (Agency for Societal Security, samsik.dk) gives the household preparedness advice, Forberedt på kriser, and handles shelter legislation. It took over this advice from the Danish Emergency Management Agency ¹.
• Beredskabsstyrelsen (Danish Emergency Management Agency, brs.dk) runs the sirens and S!RENEN ⁴.
• Rigspolitiet (National Police) sends the warnings and activates the sirens ⁴.
• Sundhedsstyrelsen (Danish Health Authority) gives the iodine tablet advice ⁶.
• Municipalities, often through joint municipal fire and rescue services, handle public shelters and supervise sikringsrum ⁸.

What is on each page?

• Emergency supplies: the three-day recommendation, 9 litres of water per person for three days, at least three days of medicines, and the online calculator ¹.
• Kit: the official Danish checklist, item by item ¹².
• Public shelters: about 3.4 million places in sikringsrum, just over 3.6 million in total, not ready for immediate use; ask your municipality ⁷⁸.
• Alerts: about 1,000 sirens, the danger and all-clear signals, S!RENEN, and the yearly test on the first Wednesday of May at 12:00 ⁴⁵.
• Iodine: 65 mg potassium iodide tablets sold over the counter at pharmacies, a national stockpile of 2 million tablets, no zones ⁶.
• Build a shelter: the Shelter Act as amended on 1 February 2026, owners' duties, and the absence of official guidance for a voluntary home bunker ⁹¹⁰.
• Shelter standards: the technical rules BRS 09/2003 and BRS 10/1993 ¹¹.
• Emergency contacts: 112 in an acute emergency, 114 for non-urgent police matters ¹².

What is the brochure "Prepared for crises"?

Forberedt på kriser (Prepared for crises) is Denmark's official preparedness brochure. It was first published by the Danish Emergency Management Agency in 2024 and is now published by the Agency for Societal Security, with an English version, Be prepared for a crisis, a Greenlandic version, other languages and a sign-language video ¹²¹³. Its core message is to be able to manage for three days. A Megafon survey for the Agency in December 2025 found that 84% of people know the three-day recommendation and 65% are preparing for it ¹³. In the brochure's words: "Når du kan klare dig selv, hjælper du dem, der ikke kan" (when you can manage on your own, you help those who cannot) ¹.

Where do I start?

Build the three-day supply first (kit), learn the siren signals and how S!RENEN works (alerts), find out from your municipality where your nearest shelter is (public shelters) and write down the numbers (emergency contacts). For a household plan, see /guides/family-plan; for the 72-hour model used elsewhere, see /guides/72-hour-kit.

Frequently asked questions

How long should Danish households be prepared for?

Three days. The authorities recommend that you and your household can manage on your own for three days ¹.

Is there an English version of the Danish crisis brochure?

Yes: Be prepared for a crisis, published as a PDF on samsik.dk ².

Which agency do I contact about shelters?

Your municipality or the municipal fire and rescue service that manages shelters in your area; samsik.dk lists which authority is responsible for each municipality ⁸.

Sources

1. Styrelsen for Samfundssikkerhed — Forberedt på kriser – sådan klarer du dig selv i tre døgn under en krise — https://samsik.dk/forberedt/ (accessed 2026-10-20)
2. Danish Emergency Management Agency (hosted by Styrelsen for Samfundssikkerhed) — Be prepared for a crisis — https://samsik.dk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/EN-prepared-for-crises.pdf (accessed 2026-10-20)
3. borger.dk (written by Styrelsen for Samfundssikkerhed) — Forberedt på kriser — https://www.borger.dk/politi-retsvaesen-forsvar/forsvar-og-beredskab/forberedt-paa-kriser (accessed 2026-10-20)
4. Beredskabsstyrelsen — Sådan advarer myndighederne dig, når der er fare på færde — https://www.brs.dk/da/borger/var-klar-nar-krisen-rammer/sadan-advarer-myndighederne-dig-nar-der-er-fare-pa-farde/ (accessed 2026-10-20)
5. Beredskabsstyrelsen — S!RENEN — https://www.brs.dk/da/sirenen/ (accessed 2026-10-20)
6. Sundhedsstyrelsen — Jod og jodtabletter — https://www.sst.dk/vidensbase/forebyggelse/forurening-og-miljoe/luftforurening/jod-og-jodtabletter (accessed 2026-10-20; read in the Internet Archive copy of 2026-03-09)
7. Styrelsen for Samfundssikkerhed — Beskyttelsesrum — https://samsik.dk/beskyttelsesrum/ (accessed 2026-10-20)
8. Styrelsen for Samfundssikkerhed — FAQ – Beskyttelsesrum — https://samsik.dk/beskyttelsesrum/faq-beskyttelsesrum/ (accessed 2026-10-20)
9. Retsinformation — Bekendtgørelse af lov om beskyttelsesrum (LBK nr. 732 af 20/08/2003) — https://www.retsinformation.dk/eli/lta/2003/732 (accessed 2026-10-20)
10. Retsinformation — Lov om ændring af lov om beskyttelsesrum og CER-loven, lov nr. 135 af 27/01/2026 — https://www.retsinformation.dk/eli/lta/2026/135 (accessed 2026-10-20)
11. Beredskabsstyrelsen (hosted by Styrelsen for Samfundssikkerhed) — Reglement for indretning af sikringsrum og murgennembrydninger (BRS 09/2003) — https://samsik.dk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/reglement-for_indretning_af_sikringsrum_og_murgennem-brydninger-.pdf (accessed 2026-10-20)
12. Politi (Danish Police) — Kontakt politiet — https://politi.dk/kontakt-politiet (accessed 2026-10-20)
13. Beredskabsstyrelsen — Forberedt på kriser (hires PDF, archived 8 Nov 2024) — https://web.archive.org/web/20241108122931/https://www.brs.dk/globalassets/brs---beredskabsstyrelsen/dokumenter/forberedt/--forberedt_paa_kriser_hires-.pdf (accessed 2026-10-20)