France is preparing to distribute a “survival manual” to every household to help citizens prepare for “imminent threats” – including armed conflict on French soil.
“The survival manual aims to encourage citizens to develop their resilience in the face of different crises,” a spokeswoman for Prime Minister François Bayrou told CNN on Wednesday.
“This includes natural disasters, technological and cyber incidents, health crises like Covid-19, and security crises like terrorist attacks and armed conflict,” she said.
If approved by Bayrou, the 20-page booklet will be delivered to households before the summer.
The French plan follows updates to similar booklets issued to millions of households in Sweden and Finland, which include instructions on how to prepare for the effects of military conflicts, communications outages and power cuts, as well as extreme weather events.
The new booklet will be similar in content to a French government website, launched in 2022, that provides advice on how to prepare for an emergency.
The manual will be divided into three sections, offering practical advice on how to protect yourself and loved ones in the face of immediate danger.
Among the recommendations will be having a list of emergency contacts (fire service, police and ambulance); knowing which radio channels to tune into; and ensuring that all doors are shut in the event of a nuclear accident.
The manual will also outline ways to contribute to the defense of the community, such as volunteering for reserve units or local fire-fighting groups.
The booklet will recommend all households have a “survival kit” including six liters (1.6 gallons) of bottled water, a dozen tins of food, batteries and a flashlight in case of power outages.
It will also advise citizens to buy medical supplies, such as paracetamol, compresses, and saline solution.
“It’s very important to be prepared for a crisis and I think the government is taking the right steps,” Moussa Saki, a 19-year old restaurant server in Paris, told CNN.
“I’m not worried about a war on French soil, but people need to know what to do, just in case,” he said.
“Basic things like medicine and food should be given to every household,” he added.
Carine Langlois, 56, remains sceptical about the likelihood of armed conflict in France.
“I don’t think there will be a war. It’s not President Emmanuel Macron’s role to intervene between Trump and Putin. There are other other matters that require urgent attention here in France,” Langlois said.
“We survived Covid, and we will manage if something else happens,” she added.
Laure Mourgue d’Algue, a 25-year-old primary school teacher, describes herself as “anti-war” but thinks the manual “makes sense from a standpoint of prevention.”
“Nordic countries like Sweden and Denmark are psychologically more prepared than France,” Mourgue d’Algue told CNN.
“Having a basic knowledge of what you need to survive – like knowing how to handle electricity – is important in terms of risk management,” she said.
However, she noted that a manual alone may not be enough.
“Psychological safety matters, and a piece of paper won’t provide that. We need training,” she said.
The prime minister’s spokeswoman told CNN that “the first step in citizen engagement is to be informed about threats and stay updated.”
“Engagement can also mean joining associations, such as the reserve forces,” she said.
“We are doing everything we can to ensure citizens are ready to respond in the event of a crisis,” she added.
Earlier this month, Macron announced “a major overhaul” of France’s security forces, including plans to increase the number of operational reservists from 40,000 to 100,000 by 2035.
During a visit to a military base in eastern France on Tuesday, he said additional measures on military capabilities, investments, and equipment would be announced in the coming weeks.
“Our country and our continent must continue to defend themselves, equip themselves, and prepare if we want to avoid war,” Macron said.
“This is the choice we have made, and will continue to make. No one can say what will happen in the months and years to come.”
