What would you take with you if your home was on fire?
Re: What would you take with you if your home was on fire?
My computer. (or if I can't get that, an external backup hard drive).
That's really it, everything else is easily replaceable. I could backup my hard drive contents online and then I wouldn't need that. And I guess it would make things much easier to get my driver's license (and if handy, SSC and birth certificate)
If there's time to easily get more:
1 - Keys, phone, clothes (just pants, shoes, and a shirt, if I don't already have some on)
2 - Expensive stuff (small amount of bullion I have in the house, container of pens, two bikes)
I don't have any heirlooms. Our old family pictures are at someone else's house.
That's really it, everything else is easily replaceable. I could backup my hard drive contents online and then I wouldn't need that. And I guess it would make things much easier to get my driver's license (and if handy, SSC and birth certificate)
If there's time to easily get more:
1 - Keys, phone, clothes (just pants, shoes, and a shirt, if I don't already have some on)
2 - Expensive stuff (small amount of bullion I have in the house, container of pens, two bikes)
I don't have any heirlooms. Our old family pictures are at someone else's house.
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tonyedgecombe
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Re: What would you take with you if your home was on fire?
I've thought about this often enough now that I don't think it would disturb me at all if I lost everything as long as my family were safe.
I do need to have a serious backup strategy for my business so I have backups at my sons flat and key data on a USB key on my keyring.
I do need to have a serious backup strategy for my business so I have backups at my sons flat and key data on a USB key on my keyring.
Re: What would you take with you if your home was on fire?
Apart from family members?
Purse/wallet and a box with our important records in it. Also the Natural Disaster/Zombie Apocalypse* kit, if I had enough time to grab it, too.
*I would make time to grab it if the fire was happening to everybody.
Purse/wallet and a box with our important records in it. Also the Natural Disaster/Zombie Apocalypse* kit, if I had enough time to grab it, too.
*I would make time to grab it if the fire was happening to everybody.
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jennypenny
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Re: What would you take with you if your home was on fire?
I'd grab the kids, dogs, and my bag. I always keep the bag near me, even sleeping, so grabbing it quickly shouldn't be a problem. I keep a week's worth of meds in that bag for everyone so I wouldn't need to worry about that.
We have a fireproof safe, and anything important is in there and can be left. My in-laws also have a copy of any critical paperwork since the safe would have to cool before it could be opened.
I keep go bags in the camper, which I could access after everyone was safely out of the house.
I'd be sorry to lose heirlooms, antiques, and photos, but if I started grabbing that kind of stuff I'd never get out because I wouldn't know where to draw the line. I keep copies of a small number of photos in the safe, and everything else would be sacrificed. It's just stuff.
We have a fireproof safe, and anything important is in there and can be left. My in-laws also have a copy of any critical paperwork since the safe would have to cool before it could be opened.
I keep go bags in the camper, which I could access after everyone was safely out of the house.
I'd be sorry to lose heirlooms, antiques, and photos, but if I started grabbing that kind of stuff I'd never get out because I wouldn't know where to draw the line. I keep copies of a small number of photos in the safe, and everything else would be sacrificed. It's just stuff.
Re: What would you take with you if your home was on fire?
I have a trunk with my most prized possessions in it. Once I'm certain my wife and our pets are safe, and if there's still time, I'd grab it. With the contents of that trunk, there's nothing else I own that I would miss. And to be on the safe side, I have a list of all the contents of the trunk. Should it go down in flames, most of it could be replaced.
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jacob
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Re: What would you take with you if your home was on fire?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piofZLySsNc
By the time the CO and smoke detectors (we have 7!) sing and we wake up, I figure I might have 30-45 seconds left before the flashfire conflagrates the entire room (whichever one that might be). I'd grab exactly nothing and proceed to help/push people out the window. Then I'd grab the dog and jump on the hypothesis that I land better
I'd expect some broken legs/ankles but that's better than the alternative.
[At this point we'd all be lying outside with compound fractures watching the house proceed to not burn down Stupid science youtube!]
Hopefully sailing accident experience translates into not freaking out. After all, 30 seconds is a long time when facing potential death-by-nature. Really, it is! Time does slow down. It's kinda Zen to contemplate personal imminent destruction
Now, were we actually awake, I'd grab one of the two ABC extinguishers we keep (bedroom and front door) while DW grabs the dog and see where/how big the fire is. If I can get close enough to hit it with the foam I'll hit it while shouting at DW to get the other one. If not, I'll shout to get out and I'll follow.
The firesafe with the numbers, forms, and documents that are so very important to our culture would hopefully survive (I think it's rated for one hour?). My simple living self would probably feel some relief at losing all our stuff. The main downside would be dealing with the aftermath. No heirlooms. I don't care much for heirlooms.
Much more critical is if the situation already has enough carbon monoxide to make one of us unconscious. I'm pretty sure DW couldn't carry me out were I reduced to a 180# sack of potatoes.---In which case I'd be comfortably dead, problem solved. I'm not sure what I'd do but I'd like to think I'd try the carry because I figure I have good odds. That might be stupid and conceited but if I didn't try, surviving would kinda suck.
Fire is one of those exponential problems in that if you catch it early, it's trivial, but if you catch it late, you're SOL.
Watch the video.
As a preventative measure, keep the amount of clutter down!!
By the time the CO and smoke detectors (we have 7!) sing and we wake up, I figure I might have 30-45 seconds left before the flashfire conflagrates the entire room (whichever one that might be). I'd grab exactly nothing and proceed to help/push people out the window. Then I'd grab the dog and jump on the hypothesis that I land better
I'd expect some broken legs/ankles but that's better than the alternative.[At this point we'd all be lying outside with compound fractures watching the house proceed to not burn down
Stupid science youtube!]Hopefully sailing accident experience translates into not freaking out. After all, 30 seconds is a long time when facing potential death-by-nature. Really, it is! Time does slow down. It's kinda Zen to contemplate personal imminent destruction
Now, were we actually awake, I'd grab one of the two ABC extinguishers we keep (bedroom and front door) while DW grabs the dog and see where/how big the fire is. If I can get close enough to hit it with the foam I'll hit it while shouting at DW to get the other one. If not, I'll shout to get out and I'll follow.
The firesafe with the numbers, forms, and documents that are so very important to our culture would hopefully survive (I think it's rated for one hour?). My simple living self would probably feel some relief at losing all our stuff. The main downside would be dealing with the aftermath. No heirlooms. I don't care much for heirlooms.
Much more critical is if the situation already has enough carbon monoxide to make one of us unconscious. I'm pretty sure DW couldn't carry me out were I reduced to a 180# sack of potatoes.---In which case I'd be comfortably dead, problem solved. I'm not sure what I'd do but I'd like to think I'd try the carry because I figure I have good odds. That might be stupid and conceited but if I didn't try, surviving would kinda suck.
Fire is one of those exponential problems in that if you catch it early, it's trivial, but if you catch it late, you're SOL.
Watch the video.
As a preventative measure, keep the amount of clutter down!!
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Laura Ingalls
- Posts: 669
- Joined: Mon Jun 25, 2012 3:13 am
Re: What would you take with you if your home was on fire?
The trauma of a fire isnt losing your stuff. Its the logistics of having no stuff. Its being homeless, not having anything even stuff ie toothbrush, food in your cupboard, ect. Its pretty disorienting and very consuming of your mental and physical energy.tonyedgecombe wrote:I've thought about this often enough now that I don't think it would disturb me at all if I lost everything as long as my family were safe.
I do need to have a serious backup strategy for my business so I have backups at my sons flat and key data on a USB key on my keyring.
Losing pictures and artwork and stuff that people always talk about not that big of a deal. It was also a good opportunity to convert to digital music.
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Laura Ingalls
- Posts: 669
- Joined: Mon Jun 25, 2012 3:13 am
Re: What would you take with you if your home was on fire?
My kids and spouse would be the only I would remotely consider trying to take with me.
Re: What would you take with you if your home was on fire?
Thu May 07, 2015: http://www.forum.earlyretirementextreme ... php?t=6084fiby41 wrote:When I was in school, the school principal suggested to have all the most important documents that are difficult/PITA to get a duplicate copy of from the issuer if destroyed (School passout+other major required certificates, bank account statements (passbooks+CDs), documents that can be used as ID proofs (passport, driving license...)) in a bag/folder so that in case your house is set on fire (or other calamity or natural disaster like the 7.9 Richter scale earthquake that hit the North-Eastern frontier of the Indian Subcontinent on 25.4.15); you can just grab it and make a run for the door.
I suggest you do something similar. It makes good disaster/risk management/mitigation sense and is in accordance with the Serendipity Effects focus of ERE. Also, if you couldn't make it to the door; atleast the digging crew will be grateful as you made it easier for them to identify yet another one among thousands of dead bodies with obscured faces...
Re: What would you take with you if your home was on fire?
My mom once lost the house (I grew up in) to fire. She wasn't home -- her neighbor called her at work to tell her the fire department was at her house.
I remember her grief at first. First it was mostly shock and a feeling of loss for a few cats, although thankfully her dog was lucky and eventually recovered. I think a lot of the sadness the next few weeks over her "stuff" wasn't necessarily because the objects she lost were all that important individually, but because the process of carefully cataloging everything she did lose for insurance purposes was very emotionally draining. She seemed to perk up when the builder got involved and she was thinking about creating something new rather than losing something old.
In the end, insurance rebuilt the home in much greater condition than it ever was before. They even had a service that specialized in cleaning smoke-damaged objects that was able to save some of her photos and other valuables.
If there was a fire in my home today, I'd grab the wife, the cat (who helpfully always hides in a known spot when frightened), the phone, and my wallet. If there's time and opportunity, I'd grab the car to load everyone into. The most important digital items (mainly photos) are in a dropbox account -- come to think of it, it's been a while since I've updated that. I might look into a way to securely encrypt a few documents to store in the cloud as well. Nothing else is worth it.
BTW -- after you call 911, I recommend the next call be to a friend or family member to come help you manage the situation. My mom called me. Several shady people (ambulance chasing lawyers, people claiming to be insurance agents but who had nothing to do with her insurance company, etc.) showed up at the fire almost immediately to try to get her to sign something in her moment of panic who I was able to see through and disperse. And I was also able to discuss things with the firefighters with more of a level head. Bring a crisis manager!
I remember her grief at first. First it was mostly shock and a feeling of loss for a few cats, although thankfully her dog was lucky and eventually recovered. I think a lot of the sadness the next few weeks over her "stuff" wasn't necessarily because the objects she lost were all that important individually, but because the process of carefully cataloging everything she did lose for insurance purposes was very emotionally draining. She seemed to perk up when the builder got involved and she was thinking about creating something new rather than losing something old.
In the end, insurance rebuilt the home in much greater condition than it ever was before. They even had a service that specialized in cleaning smoke-damaged objects that was able to save some of her photos and other valuables.
If there was a fire in my home today, I'd grab the wife, the cat (who helpfully always hides in a known spot when frightened), the phone, and my wallet. If there's time and opportunity, I'd grab the car to load everyone into. The most important digital items (mainly photos) are in a dropbox account -- come to think of it, it's been a while since I've updated that. I might look into a way to securely encrypt a few documents to store in the cloud as well. Nothing else is worth it.
BTW -- after you call 911, I recommend the next call be to a friend or family member to come help you manage the situation. My mom called me. Several shady people (ambulance chasing lawyers, people claiming to be insurance agents but who had nothing to do with her insurance company, etc.) showed up at the fire almost immediately to try to get her to sign something in her moment of panic who I was able to see through and disperse. And I was also able to discuss things with the firefighters with more of a level head. Bring a crisis manager!
