OMC-FWK-001 · Version 1.0 · November 2026
Print a copy and keep it with your household plans. This page is always the most current version.
Purpose
This framework answers one question: how long could your household keep functioning if normal services stopped? The cause doesn’t matter. It might be a power outage, a storm, an earthquake, an evacuation, a supply shortage or a disruption to payments.
The framework has three parts:
- Six tiers (T0–T5), each describing how long a household can cope.
- Twelve capability areas that every household depends on.
- A simple score that shows where you stand and what to do next.
Every other OmniCORE library item builds on it. Hazard plans (such as the Family Grid-Down Preparedness Plan) apply the tiers to one kind of event. Guides teach the skills for one capability area. Worksheets help you score and plan.
The framework is meant to be useful anywhere in the world. Where a recommendation depends on local rules or conditions (radio licensing, climate, building codes), it says so.
How to use this framework
- Read the tiers and pick a target. Every household should reach T1. OmniCORE recommends T2 as the target for most households (see Scoring).
- Score each capability area using its criteria table. Be honest: a tier counts only when every criterion in it, and in every tier below it, is met.
- Find your weakest area. That is your household’s headline score and your first priority.
- Close one gap at a time, starting with T0 in your weakest area. Most T0 work costs nothing.
- Re-score every six months, and after any real disruption.
The tiers
The tiers are cumulative: each one assumes the tiers below it are already in place. A higher tier is not a bigger stockpile of the same things. It adds new capabilities, such as treating water rather than only storing it, or working with neighbors rather than alone.
| Tier | Horizon | What it looks like |
|---|---|---|
| T0 | Foundations | You know what your home depends on, you’ve agreed on roles and triggers, and your key information is on paper. Little or no cost. |
| T1 | 1 week | You can shelter in place for seven days on what you have stored, with no outside help. |
| T2 | 1 month | Storage plus treatment: you can make water safe, run essential loads, and replace what runs out. |
| T3 | 3 months | Sustainable sources rather than bigger piles, working with other households, and a real decision about whether to stay or relocate. |
| T4 | 6 months | Production and preservation through at least one full season, and partnerships that keep tools and people working. |
| T5 | 1 year or more | Community resilience: capabilities no household can provide alone. |
Local guidance. > Some authorities set their own household targets. For example, Washington State in the US asks households to be “2 Weeks Ready”. A local target that falls between two tiers is a good intermediate goal on the way to the higher one.
Capability areas
Twelve areas, in four groups. Every area has criteria at every tier.
| Group | Area | Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Life support | Water | Storage, treatment, sources |
| Food | Storage, rotation, cooking and cooking fuel, production | |
| Shelter & Warmth | Heating, cooling, keeping one or more rooms livable | |
| Health & Medical | Prescriptions, first aid, powered medical devices, training | |
| Sanitation & Hygiene | Toilets without water or sewer, waste, handwashing | |
| Household systems | Power & Light | Lighting, batteries, generators, solar, essential loads |
| Communications | Reaching family, neighbors and help; radios; check-ins | |
| Information & Awareness | Alerts, trusted sources, offline references, checking news | |
| Safety & movement | Safety & Security | Fire, carbon monoxide, shutoffs, home hardening |
| Mobility & Evacuation | Go-bags, routes, vehicles, fuel, a fallback location | |
| People & community | Finances & Documents | Cash, copies of key documents, income continuity |
| Community & Skills | Neighbors, mutual aid, partner households, training |
Dependents. Pets, livestock, infants, elders and anyone with a powered medical device are not a separate area. They change the targets in every area: more water, specific food, medication, transport and a plan for who looks after them. Where an area’s criteria mention “the household”, that includes its dependents.
Scoring
Area score
Each area scores 0 to 5: the highest tier whose criteria are all met, along with every tier below it. If you meet T2 criteria in Water but are missing one T1 criterion, your Water score is 0 until you fix it.
A tier can’t be met until T0 is met. An area where even T0 is incomplete scores “not started” (shown as –).
Tested criteria
Criteria marked (tested) count only after you have actually done the thing, such as a drill, a dry run or using the equipment once. Equipment you’ve never used is a plan, not a capability.
Conditional criteria
Criteria marked if (for example, if firearms are kept) apply only to households they describe. A household they don’t apply to meets them automatically. No conditional criterion is required to reach any tier.
Household score
- Headline: your weakest area. A household with a month of food but no stored water is ready for about three days, not a month. The lowest area score is the household’s headline score.
- Profile: all twelve areas. The headline always comes with the full profile, so you can see the spread and plan the next step.
Targets
- Baseline: T1 in every area. Every household should be able to manage a week on its own.
- Recommended: T2 in every area.
- Raise targets where you are more exposed. The Community Exposure Profile identifies where your situation calls for a higher tier in a specific area. Examples: a well with an electric pump raises the Water target; long winters raise Shelter & Warmth; a powered medical device raises Power & Light and Health & Medical.
Capability criteria
Criteria are grouped as in the capability areas table. Within a tier, criteria are separated by a dot (·).
Life support
Water
| Tier | Criteria |
|---|---|
| T0 | You know where your water comes from and what it depends on (city pressure, an electric well pump, a building pump). · You know where the main shutoff is, and the tool is beside it. · You know of at least two nearby places to get water if the taps stop, such as a stream, pond, rain barrels or a public source. |
| T1 | At least 1 gallon (about 4 liters) per person per day stored for 7 days, plus extra for pets and livestock. · Stored water is dated and rotated on a schedule. · You have containers you can fill when a storm or outage is forecast (bathtub water is for flushing, not drinking). |
| T2 | Two weeks of water stored per person. · A treatment method for the rest of the month (a gravity filter plus chemical treatment), with enough filter life and chemicals for 30 days. (tested) · Two sources identified, with a safe way to carry water home. |
| T3 | A renewable source for 3 months: rain catchment with storage and a first-flush diverter, or a well that can be pumped without grid power (hand pump or solar). (tested) · Spare filter elements and treatment supplies for 3 months. · Water arrangements agreed with neighbors who share a source. |
| T4 | Water through a full dry season or freeze: enough storage to bridge gaps in supply, and freeze protection for pipes and tanks. · Enough water for a food garden and animals, not only drinking. · Spare parts for pumps and filters, and the skills to fit them. |
| T5 | The household is part of a community water arrangement: shared sources, agreed treatment and testing, sanitation kept away from water sources, and roles for maintaining it. |
Food
| Tier | Criteria |
|---|---|
| T0 | You know how many days of food you have now, counting only food that doesn’t need a refrigerator. · A manual can opener. · Special diets are written down: allergies, infant formula, medical diets, pet food. |
| T1 | 7 days of food that needs no cooking or only a simple stove, for everyone in the household, including pets. · A way to cook safely outdoors, with fuel for 7 days. · You know the order to eat in: refrigerator first, then freezer, then pantry. |
| T2 | 30 days of food you normally eat, dated and rotated oldest first. · Cooking fuel for 30 days. · Infant, medical and pet food for 30 days. |
| T3 | 90 days of food, including bulk staples in sealed containers (grains, beans, oil, salt). · Someone in the household can cook from staples alone. (tested: a week of meals from storage only) · A starter garden and seeds. · Where practical, a way to cook that doesn’t depend on bought fuel (wood, solar). |
| T4 | A garden or other production that supplies a real share of calories through a full season. · Equipment and skills to preserve food (canning, drying, cool storage). (tested: one harvest preserved) · Where lawful and practical, wild food: fishing and hunting gear, current licenses, and real practice. · Where practical, small livestock for eggs or meat. |
| T5 | A year of food through storage, proven production, or both. · Saved seed and breeding stock that carry into a second year. · Food production and storage shared with partner households. |
Shelter & Warmth
| Tier | Criteria |
|---|---|
| T0 | You know how your home is heated and cooled, and what each system needs (grid power, gas, a thermostat). · You’ve chosen the room you would keep livable. · You know your local season of risk: cold, heat, or both. |
| T1 | One room kept livable for 7 days without grid power. In cold climates: warm bedding and layers for everyone, and any indoor heater is rated for indoor use and used only with a working CO alarm. In hot climates: shade, battery fans, and a plan to reach a cooler place. · Materials to cover a broken window or a roof leak (tarps, plastic sheeting, tape). |
| T2 | A heat source for the whole season that doesn’t need grid power, with fuel for 30 days, or a pre-arranged place to relocate to. · The chosen room is insulated (window coverings, draft blocking). (tested: a night without grid heating or cooling) |
| T3 | Where practical, a renewable fuel (usually wood) as the main heat source, with a season’s supply and hand tools to cut and split it. · A chimney cleaning plan. · In hot climates, passive cooling measures (shading, ventilation). |
| T4 | Fuel stored a season ahead. · Durable clothing, work boots, rain gear and a mending kit for everyone. · Skills and materials to make basic repairs to the home. |
| T5 | Fuel a year ahead, from a supply the household can cut and season itself. · Shared warming or cooling spaces in the community. · Building and repair skills shared across partner households. |
Health & Medical
| Tier | Criteria |
|---|---|
| T0 | A paper list for each person: medications and doses, allergies, conditions, doctors and pharmacy. · Anyone who relies on a powered medical device is enrolled in the utility’s or local authority’s priority program, where one exists. · You know the nearest clinic and hospital, and an alternative. |
| T1 | 2 weeks of prescriptions. · A full first-aid kit, spare glasses, and common over-the-counter medicines. · A plan for refrigerated medicines. · The battery runtime of any powered medical device is known. (tested) · At least one household member trained in basic first aid. |
| T2 | 30–90 days of prescriptions, where the prescriber and insurer allow it. · A trauma kit and a temporary dental filling kit. · Two or more household members trained in first aid and CPR, including bleeding control. |
| T3 | At least one household member trained beyond basic first aid (wilderness first aid or higher). · Wound-care supplies and a printed medical reference. · A plan, discussed with the prescriber, for chronic conditions if refills stop. |
| T4 | Plans for dental and preventive care. · Daily routines that protect mental health, including work and schooling for children. · Hygiene discipline as the main defense against disease. |
| T5 | A shared medical kit and at least one skilled caregiver in the community. · Medical skills cross-trained so care doesn’t depend on one person. |
Sanitation & Hygiene
| Tier | Criteria |
|---|---|
| T0 | You know what your toilet and sewer depend on (water pressure, a sewer lift station, a septic pump). · You know the signs of a sewer backup, and not to flush when it happens. |
| T1 | A bucket toilet with heavy bags and absorbent (cat litter or sawdust) for 7 days. · Wipes, hand sanitizer, water for handwashing, and trash bags. |
| T2 | 30 days of toilet supplies, or a composting toilet setup. (tested: toilet assembled once) · A handwashing station. · A plan to store trash safely once pickup stops. |
| T3 | A durable system: a composting toilet, or a latrine sited well downhill from and away from any water source. · A way to wash laundry by hand. |
| T4 | Enough soap and cleaning supplies for a season, or the means to make them. · Human and food waste composted safely. |
| T5 | A community sanitation plan that protects shared water sources, with agreed roles. |
Household systems
Power & Light
| Tier | Criteria |
|---|---|
| T0 | A list of what in your home needs power, in order of importance (medical devices, well pump, freezer, phones). · A flashlight everyone can find in the dark. · A dry run: the main breaker switched off for an evening (4–6 hours). (tested) |
| T1 | A headlamp for each person, lanterns, and spare batteries. · Two or more power banks. · A portable power station sized for small essential loads. · Anyone using a generator follows the safety rules: outdoors, away from windows, never connected to house wiring without a transfer switch. |
| T2 | Power for selected loads (refrigerator, freezer, well pump, lights, communications) for 30 days: a generator run in blocks with stabilized fuel and a transfer switch or interlock fitted by an electrician, or solar panels with battery storage. (tested: essential loads run for a full day) |
| T3 | Solar and battery sized for essential loads with no dependence on fuel. A generator, if any, is backup only. |
| T4 | Spare parts and the skills to maintain the system. · Manual alternatives for the loads you could drop (hand tools, a washboard, a cool store instead of a freezer). |
| T5 | Shared power: a community solar system or microgrid, or a shared charging point. |
Communications
| Tier | Criteria |
|---|---|
| T0 | A printed contact list for every household member, including an out-of-area contact who relays news. · Agreed meeting points (near home, in the neighborhood, out of the area). · Everyone knows the household check-in plan. |
| T1 | Short-range two-way radios for the household, with spare batteries. Use a band that is legal where you live, licensed or license-free depending on the country (for example FRS or GMRS in the US, PMR446 in Europe, UHF CB in Australia). · Everyone knows to send text messages when calls fail. · A household check-in drill completed. (tested) |
| T2 | A licensed amateur radio operator in the household or in a partner household nearby. · A neighborhood check-in on an agreed channel and schedule. (tested) · Radios and phones can be charged without grid power for 30 days. |
| T3 | Reach beyond the neighborhood without the internet or phone network, through amateur radio repeaters, a regional net or long-distance (HF) radio. · A message passed to the out-of-area contact this way. (tested) · Solar charging for 3 months of radio use. |
| T4 | More than one trained operator, so communications don’t depend on one person. · Spare radios, antennas and batteries, and the skills to repair them. · The household can act as a relay for neighbors. |
| T5 | A community communications network with a schedule, a person running each check-in, a message board or runner system for households without radios, and an agreed link to local emergency services or volunteer emergency radio groups. |
Information & Awareness
| Tier | Criteria |
|---|---|
| T0 | Signed up for official alerts where you live. · Two or three trusted sources chosen (your local authority, the national weather service, a public broadcaster). · You know the main hazards where you live (the Community Exposure Profile helps). |
| T1 | A battery or hand-crank radio that receives emergency broadcasts. · Printed local maps and printed copies of your household plans. · A household rule: check before you share. |
| T2 | An offline reference library, printed or downloaded, covering first aid, water treatment and basic repairs. · A routine for checking alerts and OmniCORE’s readiness updates. · You know how to check a rumor: two independent, credible sources before acting on it. |
| T3 | A shortwave receiver for news from beyond your region. · A neighborhood information point, such as a notice board. |
| T4 | A written log of local conditions (weather, supplies, events). · The reference library extended to production skills (growing, preserving, repair). |
| T5 | A community information service: a notice board, regular briefings, and someone responsible for checking rumors. |
Safety & movement
Safety & Security
| Tier | Criteria |
|---|---|
| T0 | You know the shutoffs for water, gas and electricity, and the right tool is beside each. · Smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms are working. · The household has agreed how it responds to a threat at home: avoid it, secure the home, call for help. |
| T1 | Battery smoke and CO alarms, and fire extinguishers you can reach. · Doors and windows lock securely, and outside lighting works without grid power. · If firearms are kept: they are held lawfully and stored securely, and everyone in the household knows the basic safety rules. |
| T2 | Fire safety around stoves, heaters and generators, and household members know how to use an extinguisher. (tested) · A self-defense plan suited to your household and local law, with training to match (for example personal safety, de-escalation, or a self-defense course). · If firearms are part of the plan: formal training from a qualified instructor, storage that keeps them from children and unauthorized users, and regular practice. (tested) |
| T3 | A shared watch arrangement with partner households. · At least one household member with de-escalation and conflict-avoidance skills. · If firearms are kept: the skills to clean and maintain them, and supplies for continued safe practice. |
| T4 | Security that doesn’t depend on outside help: a watch rota, awareness of who is coming and going, and more than one trained person. |
| T5 | Community safety agreed with neighbors: shared watch, agreed rules on the use of force that stay within the law, a way to resolve conflicts, and a link to local authorities. |
Mobility & Evacuation
| Tier | Criteria |
|---|---|
| T0 | You know your local evacuation routes and any evacuation zones. · The household has agreed when to leave and who decides. · A fallback location is chosen (a relative’s or friend’s home outside your area). |
| T1 | A go-bag for each person and each pet. · The vehicle always has enough fuel to reach the fallback location. · Printed maps with the route marked. · A grab-and-go drill completed. (tested) |
| T2 | Two routes to the fallback location, each driven at least once. (tested) · An emergency kit in each vehicle. · A transport arrangement for anyone without a vehicle. |
| T3 | A written stay-or-relocate decision: who goes where, by which route, carrying what. · A way to get around without fuel (bicycles with spare tubes and a repair kit). |
| T4 | Vehicle maintenance skills and spare parts. · Transport for livestock and animals, or an arrangement for their care if you leave. |
| T5 | A community transport plan: shared vehicles and fuel, and help for people who can’t evacuate on their own. |
People & community
Finances & Documents
| Tier | Criteria |
|---|---|
| T0 | Paper copies of IDs, insurance, deeds, medical records and account details in a waterproof folder. · You know how to reach your bank and insurer without the internet. |
| T1 | Cash in small bills for about a week of spending. · Copies of key documents in the go-bag. · A way to pay essential bills if online access is lost. |
| T2 | Cash for 2–4 weeks of essentials. · Insurance checked against your main hazards. · Key documents also stored digitally offline (an encrypted drive) as well as on paper. |
| T3 | A household budget that assumes no paycheck for 3 months. · Debt reduced where possible. · Staples and goods you could share or trade. |
| T4 | More than one source of income, or skills that earn in a disrupted economy. |
| T5 | Part of a community exchange: local trade, shared resources, and agreed contributions to mutual aid. |
Community & Skills
| Tier | Criteria |
|---|---|
| T0 | Household roles are assigned (water, food, medical, communications, care of children and elders), each with a backup. · You’ve met at least two neighbors and swapped phone numbers. · You know what skills and equipment your own household has. · You know which neighbors may need help (elders, people living alone, people with medical needs). |
| T1 | An agreement with nearby households to check on each other during a disruption. · You know who nearby has medical, mechanical or other key skills. |
| T2 | A neighborhood list of who has which skills, tools, generators and medical needs. · Agreements on sharing water sources, fuel and equipment, made before they’re needed. |
| T3 | A mutual-aid arrangement with several households (roughly 5–15) covering shared labor, supplies and watch-keeping. · A partner household elsewhere you could relocate to, and that could relocate to you. · At least one household member learning a production skill (growing food, preserving, repair, carpentry). |
| T4 | Households in cities or apartments have a pre-arranged partnership with a rural household. · Shared production and regular workdays with partner households. · Skills spread so no capability depends on one person. |
| T5 | An organized community group with roles, regular drills, a way to make decisions together, a link to local authorities, and a habit of teaching skills to newcomers. An OmniCORE community instance is one way to do this. |
Self-defense and firearms
Physical safety is part of readiness. In a long disruption, help from the police or emergency services may be slow or not come at all. OmniCORE treats self-defense the way it treats everything else in this framework: as a capability a household plans for, trains for and maintains.
Firearms are tools. Like a chainsaw or a generator, they have practical uses (defending the household, hunting, and protecting livestock from predators), and they carry real risks that call for training and discipline. Where they are allowed by local law and fit local custom, firearms can be an important tool in a household’s readiness toolbox.
OmniCORE’s position:
- Avoidance comes first. The strongest defenses are awareness, secure homes, good relations with neighbors, de-escalation and not being there when trouble arrives. Most of the criteria above are about these.
- The law decides. Firearms laws differ widely between countries, and often within them. Every criterion that mentions firearms applies only where they are lawful, and only to households that choose to keep them.
- Optional, never required. A household without firearms can reach every tier in every area. Firearms criteria are conditional (marked if) and never block a score.
- Responsibility is not optional. A household that keeps firearms should get training from a qualified instructor, store them so children and unauthorized people can’t reach them, practice regularly and know the law on use of force where it lives.
- No product or tactics advice. OmniCORE doesn’t recommend specific firearms or tactics. For those, go to qualified local instructors and the authorities that license them.
How the framework connects to the rest of OmniCORE
Hazard plans
A hazard plan applies the tiers to one kind of event and adds what’s specific to it: what fails and when, triggers, and special risks. The Grid-Down Plan is the first. Planned: communications, evacuation, earthquake, wildfire and smoke, winter storms, and an unreliable internet.
Readiness bulletins
OmniCORE’s readiness bulletins track pressure on eight household channels. Each channel points to the capability areas it affects most, so when a bulletin says “close specific gaps”, you know where to look.
| Bulletin channel | Capability areas to check |
|---|---|
| Energy | Power & Light · Shelter & Warmth · Mobility & Evacuation (fuel) |
| Shipping | Food · Health & Medical (supplies) |
| Conflict | Information & Awareness · Mobility & Evacuation · Safety & Security |
| Food | Food |
| Money | Finances & Documents |
| Comms | Communications · Information & Awareness |
| Travel | Mobility & Evacuation |
| Health | Health & Medical · Sanitation & Hygiene |
Worksheets and tools
- The Household Readiness Assessment (OMC-WKS-001, planned) is the scorecard version of this framework.
- The Community Exposure Profile (OMC-WKS-002) sets area targets for your situation.
- A household readiness calculator (planned) turns your household’s size, dependents and target tier into quantities and a shopping list.
Sources
- Washington State Emergency Management Division, “2 Weeks Ready” (WA EMD)
- OmniCORE, Family Grid-Down Preparedness Plan (tier structure)
OmniCORE is an open-source preparedness initiative stewarded by UpRiver Holdings LLC. You may share and adapt this work for any purpose, with attribution to OmniCORE (omnicore.blog). The OmniCORE name is not licensed for endorsement. Do not present an adapted version as an official OmniCORE publication.
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