What once seemed like a science fiction movie scenario, the prospect of blackouts in Europe’s largest economy has now become a possible threat in the context of the current energy crisis, Reuters reports.

Trying to be heroes in the event of a real-life blackout, more and more Germans are turning to courses to learn what to do if they are plunged into darkness.

“If the electricity goes out, absolutely nothing works. And we need to understand what “nothing works” really means, said Birgitte Eberlin, an educator at the Federation of Samaritan Workers (ASB).

Simple tasks—from cooking and staying hydrated to caring for pets or calling a neighbor’s apartment—become major challenges.

A German organization runs free courses on the subject on behalf of the BBK government agency for civil protection and disaster relief.

At the charity’s headquarters in southeast Berlin, Eberlin walks her students through the basics, including stocking up on candles, matches and flashlights, before turning off the lights and spending part of the lesson with a flashlight.

“Three generations ago, people knew what it was like to be without electricity. Today we realize that we can barely function without electricity,” said Albrecht Bremme, a former Berlin fire chief who was recalled from retirement to help build infrastructure for the pandemic and then for the arrival of Ukrainian refugees.

Germany’s national grid agency has warned of possible gas rationing this winter after Russian energy imports to Germany fell following the invasion of Ukraine.

However, with gas reserves almost full and an unusually warm autumn, Germany is hoping to avoid unannounced blackouts.