Besides yourself, what would be the first thing you think to save if your residence was on fire?

I have a waterproof Sentry Safe with important papers. Should survive a fire so I don't worry about it.
Important valuables, backup SSD drive and a small laptop/net book I keep in a grab and go Samsonite briefcase.
Figure could use a laptop if burned out and had to check-in somewhere.
Anything else I could get out would be bonus.
If Mason didn't make it out the pet door, I'd round him up.
Besides the Sentry and grab and go, there isn't anything worth risking a life over and insurance should replace.
 
Everything I plan to save in the event of a fire is in three 18-inch square boxes. They sit at the edge of a shelf in the storage room, and I cut-to-fit and glued down a thick fabric that's bright yellow with neon-blue polka-dots on each one, so you can't miss 'em.

One contains all our family photos, and there's a few photo albums stacked on top of it.

One contains all our banking stuff, including new checkbooks and duplicate debit & credit cards, important paperwork for the house, and all our insurance documents.

The third contains all my former foster son's paperwork; his old CPS folder, his medical history, bio-family history, his (original) social security documents, and all the documents for his secret bank acct.

Since I live in Calif, it's a good idea to have a fire plan.
 
Iā€™ve written about this before, since we had to run from a very, very close fire at 5 a.m. Our house was singed. Not a damn thing matters when itā€™s that close. I had my phone and glasses which were right beside the bed. Also picked up my purse which hangs on a hook on the way out. I did put my slippers and a dress on over my nightgown but I donā€™t really remember doing it. One lady who lost her house was standing there in bare feet. She and her husband barely made it out. Fortunately it was the middle of summer.

BTW, we thought we had a basic plan of what to grab in the event of a fire.

For a wildfire evacuation order, we have To Go bags packed and also in the garage a container with some canned foods, water, etc. In theory, weā€™re given 1/2 hour notice. Usually thereā€™s an evacuation alert first, so the car is packed.
 
Last edited:
My wife then my dog... then I'm not sure depends on how much time I had. I'd like to save my wallet, phone, etc...

I did have to make a few decisions like this in Florida as hurricanes approached. I lived in a ground level house near the beach, flooding and big surf happened a few times. Can't say I was always wise about it. My mother always got out the ice cream when hurricane warnings were issued, did not want to risk it melting in a power outage.
 
My dog. photo album, The rest are just "things". Even my books can be replaced.

But, The last fire that swept through here, my brain went numb. I packed and unpacked the vehicle five different times, and all with junk.
As I unpacked, I wondered, "Why would I save this?" "Why would I need this?"
It's true. The mind doesn't function well in a state of panic.
 

Attachments

  • 747.JPG
    747.JPG
    59.5 KB · Views: 2
Della said:
I would roll out of bed and put my glasses on before I stood up, then reach back and pick my dog up off the bed, run across the house to wake up son, then we'd head for the back door where my purse is hanging, grab it and out we'd go.

And maybe Judycat's poster if I had one like it. :D
Click to expand...
..what if the fire was in the area by the back door and your way out was blocked ?
 
Murrmurr said:
Everything I plan to save in the event of a fire is in three 18-inch square boxes. They sit at the edge of a shelf in the storage room, and I cut-to-fit and glued down a thick fabric that's bright yellow with neon-blue polka-dots on each one, so you can't miss 'em.

One contains all our family photos, and there's a few photo albums stacked on top of it.

One contains all our banking stuff, including new checkbooks and duplicate debit & credit cards, important paperwork for the house, and all our insurance documents.

The third contains all my former foster son's paperwork; his old CPS folder, his medical history, bio-family history, his (original) social security documents, and all the documents for his secret bank acct.

Since I live in Calif, it's a good idea to have a fire plan.
Click to expand...
Animals & husband first ...

For years, my husband & I talked about getting a safe deposit box for our important paperwork. It wasn't until our neighbor lost everything in a house fire that we got off our butts & did it. After seeing what they went through getting things replaced, we sat down & figured out what needed to be protected. I made copies of the paperwork in the SDB so I have them for reference. Some computer files were put on disc & periodically updated in there. We aren't in an area that has evacuations, but you don't know when something unusual would happen.

I made a list of what grab in an emergency & keep it on the fridge. As far as a fire, I have all of the other paperwork that's in our office sitting next to the window in boxes that could be tossed out & picked up later. I have crates for all inside animals always ready to go.

The one thing that gives me peace of mind is that we have a fire alarm. Accidently, we ended up with two different systems. When the electricians put in the wiring, they added an in-house fire alarm on all floors that are connected to each other so if one goes off, they all go off. They really are loud enough to wake sleeping teenagers. The second system was installed while we were building which is a monitored alarm. Later we added fire/burglary to the unattached garage & fire alarm in the stable.
 
The furkids, of course if there areany. Most important irreplaceable stuff is in my shoulder bag already and that is wherever I am. I have a couple of small valuable jewels on the kitchen table and passwords are kind of a mess because they are in one place but very disorganized.
 
Lilac said:
Animals & husband first ...

For years, my husband & I talked about getting a safe deposit box for our important paperwork. It wasn't until our neighbor lost everything in a house fire that we got off our butts & did it. After seeing what they went through getting things replaced, we sat down & figured out what needed to be protected. I made copies of the paperwork in the SDB so I have them for reference. Some computer files were put on disc & periodically updated in there. We aren't in an area that has evacuations, but you don't know when something unusual would happen.

I made a list of what grab in an emergency & keep it on the fridge. As far as a fire, I have all of the other paperwork that's in our office sitting next to the window in boxes that could be tossed out & picked up later. I have crates for all inside animals always ready to go.

The one thing that gives me peace of mind is that we have a fire alarm. Accidently, we ended up with two different systems. When the electricians put in the wiring, they added an in-house fire alarm on all floors that are connected to each other so if one goes off, they all go off. They really are loud enough to wake sleeping teenagers. The second system was installed while we were building which is a monitored alarm. Later we added fire/burglary to the unattached garage & fire alarm in the stable.
Click to expand...
Good plan.

In the event of a fire, you're going to lose electricity, and even though it's pretty easy to get someplace that has electricity when you evacuate, having hard copies of important papers is still crucial.

I lived in Paradise, Calif., for several years. I'd already moved before the big "Camp Fire" in 2018, but I was there during another major fire in...I think it was 2013 or 2012, and our area had to evacuate. I co-owned a liquor/grocery store, so had to scramble to save important documents related to my business as well as my house and myself. I learned a lot from that experience.

Things move a lot quicker with your bank and insurance companies if you have those hard-copies in hand.

I assume your alarm systems have battery back-up, yes?
 

You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top