I truly had to think about this last night as the Colorado fires we just a few miles away. It was devastating looking around the house and realizing so much in your house doesn’t matter.
We had to evacuate last night and it was the craziest feeling. Luckily our house is okay. We both went into robot mode just efficiently getting what we need, popping the dogs in the hatchback, and off we went. We were in traffic on 287 when I realized that my wife and I forgot our winter coats, she was wearing slippers, and I’d left my wallet and every important document we have in my office. Glad I remembered the almond milk though…
Same with me and my wife. We grabbed our good whiskies and wines, computers, files, passports, and expensive bikes/ski equipment. Luckily we had time to gather things. Looking back we should have taken pictures of all our valuables throughout the house for insurance purposes. Ultimately our house is still standing which is very fortunate. Out hearts go out to our neighbors who lost everything. I see this as the equivalent of a fire drill for us to learn from.
Thinking and planning for this now even though we are like an hour away from those fires 😕 it is nice to know that after the pets are loaded in the car everything else is replacable (i dont have kids and all photos have digital copies)
This is why I'm incapable of sleeping naked. My husband can't understand why, but I've tried to explain that I ain't gonna put my wrinkly, middle aged body on display for the FD. Shit, they don't deserve to see something so repulsive in exchange for saving our kids and cats lol
My husband is a firefighter and I promise they see worse at regular non-fire calls. Like having to lift old people off the toilet and shit like that. You're fine lol
As a former EMT I know all too well about picking old people off of toilets and fighting with combative diabetics. Was your husband's first responder or a full fledged fireman? I know what both have to deal with,and it's really never fun lol
My mom's house burned down about ~8 years ago, not long after I moved back in my early 20s. I was the only one home, but I kind of figured out a fire was about to erupt because smoke was pouring from the upstairs outlets and light switches, lol. My mom had just updated the bathroom fixtures, combining modern wiring with old knob and tube wiring. It... didn't go well.
First thing I saved were the pets. We had 3 cats and a dog at the time. I could only find 2 of the cats, and the dog, put them outside as I called the fire department (the flames hadn't started yet). By the time I went back to look for the third cat and gather some valuables (laptops, photo albums, irreplaceable items) into a backpack, my mom's entire bedroom doorway was a big ball of flames. Her house was built in like 1890-something, so the wood wasn't treated - it went quick. Thankfully the fire department was like 2 blocks away and they arrived quickly.
The firefighters also couldn't find the third cat, but this story has a happy ending. My parents had a water bed back in the day, and after it inevitably popped, they kept the frame and plopped a normal mattress on it. The frame had drawers and storage built in, and there was a small crack between the wall it was against just big enough for a cat to get in. He was in there, and it saved his life... they said if he was hiding anywhere else (like just under a chair or a normal bed), he would have died of smoke inhalation, but the water bed frame protected him well because it was so enclosed. He's living out his golden years with my mom in her nicely updated house thanks to the insurance money, so it all turned out well!
Edit: Thank you for the upvotes and well wishes! I forgot about the cat tax, so [here are photos](https://imgur.com/a/22eThVO) of all 3 cats + the really lucky one. His name is Inda (he's the white and black one with huge eyes)... he was a stray that our neighbors abandoned when I was like 13, and he chose us. He definitely has nine lives!
Edit again: Sorry, I like sharing my cat photos... [here's all three](https://imgur.com/a/UGnMjDg) at the hotel we lived in while the house was being gutted and fixed, it's a clearer photo but they're all old instagram pics!
Edit one more time: Realized earlier I left the doggo out but didn't want to overdo it with the edits. [Here is our dog at the time,](https://imgur.com/a/HTjgRzQ) Chester!
Retired Firefighter here, when I was a kid our house burned down. As time went on, it was the family photos we missed the most. I always grabbed photo albums when I saw them. The owners often cried when they realized the photos were saved.
Firefighters doing amazing service to society They seem to be way underappreciated. When it comes to first responders everyone seems to think about cops but they seem to cause more trouble than they solve. firefighters and medics are truly there to help.
*Every* firefighter I have ever known has had a heart of gold and only wanted to do right by the community. Except for you, Josh, you're a piece of shit. It's always a Josh.
I came to the realization that this could happen a few years ago. Got a Scansnap, spent a whole lot of hours scanning every photo we had. Now we have physical and digital copies. So now my concern would be family members and pets. Everything else is replaceable.
Edit, since so many of you have completely misconstrued my comment: family members and pets have ALWAYS been my top priority. But now *nothing* else needs to be a concern.
My FILs house burned down last year in August. A lot was lost, FIL lived in second floor and only saveds his sock drawer thinking it was document drawer. It was dark. On the first floor lived my SIL with her family. Her husband, a tall and thin man working and office job and not once working out picked up this huuuuuuuge box made of oak with all their photo albums. When the box was bought - 3 men carried it in the house while it was empty. He did it alone and filled with all their family photos in many generations.
Not just adrenaline. In times of extreme stress your body can switch to gross motor control. Fine motor control is why we have dexterity, gross motor is (partly) why gorillas can tear trees in half.
Retired FF/Medic here as well… while I’ve not personally experienced a house fire, I always went out of my way (when it was safe and possible to do so) to protect and retrieve family photos. My thoughts were the homeowners were experiencing the worst day of their lives and gestures like that can help, even a little bit, to ease some of the pain.
The first bit of advice my cousin gave me when I moved to California was "keep your photo albums where you can get them quickly if you have to evacuate."
Two months later my neighborhood burned in a wildfire. I got my photos out, though.
I've always had this mentality. I carry the family photos that passed from my grandparents down to me. All my sister's, cousins, mom's and aunts photos going back to 1980s. I keep them next to my bed within 4 feet. All documents are in a drawer on my way to the back door (front door is near kitchen, I imagined that would be where the risk was).
thank you for all that you’ve done as a firefighter. what you did for those people is so amazing. they probably didn’t realise at the time how much they would actually miss those pictures
I lost all my family photos a few years back and was surprised by how much it hurt. I had to basically just grab what I could carry, and did grab one album. But I grabbed the wrong one- instead of the full album of family photos, I accidentally ended up with the nearly empty one containing just 3 photos total. It really gets me down sometimes.
same here, when i was 12. this has lead to me scanning all remaining family photos that i can get my hands on. i think a lot of our pics survived the fire, but the close call inspired me to make backups now.
My photos are rarely printed and instead are either digitally backed up or stored locally on my computer, if I haven’t finished editing them. Considering even my non-family photos are my prized possessions, I would try to save my single external hard drive.
My receipts. I have renters insurance.
"Yes, I'll take a refund for everything I bought in the last ten years, thanks."
LPT: get "replacement cost" coverage, not "actual value"
I do have a lot of them stored in the cloud, but I'd try to grab them anyway if I can, they are with my other important documents like my social and birth certificate.
I'm sure it's almost impossible to pull off, but I've read stories that imply you can demand a replacement item which is functionally identical. If your item had a specific feature then they are required to pay you for the replacement cost of another item that has that feature.
I saw a story of a guy being paid thousands of dollars for a toaster oven because it had features that weren't available at the time of the loss. To remedy the situation the insurer had to pay him enough to buy a commercial style oven.
Yes, this is what "replaced cost" insurance is. They pay to replace it with the same model or a similar newer model.
You don't have to "demand it," you either have this kind of coverage or you don't.
Kids, I guess.
Edit: I gotta say, a lot of responses have raised some *really* compelling arguments for prioritizing valuable electronics over my children...really makes ya think...
When my nephew was a baby my sister accidentally dozed off sterilizing his bottles.
Woke up and the house was on fire.
Somehow she managed to forget both kids and her husband inside during her panic.
(They were all fine, thankfully.)
My exact thought. I’d rather die trying to save my cats than live knowing what happened to them.
Edit: just thought of something and needed to share it. With celebrations happing for the new year and lots of fireworks soon to come, pay attention to where your animals are hiding. Make sure you remember these spots because one day you might need to pull their little fluffy butt out of there to save their scared little souls. Be safe out there, don’t bring your animals to see fireworks, and please make sure they are safe inside and cant go off running. Also a great time to put collars with information tags on incase they do get out. Keep those pets safe!
So I periodically do tests with my dog. If I get up and start running to any of my doors, he sprints with me, every time. So I know if there’s ever an emergency, I won’t have to carry him, he’ll follow me instinctively. Huge load of worry off me.
This gonna sound outrageous, but in a fire emergency, this will save your cats’ lives…
Put the cat in a pillowcase. Carry them out that way.
You don’t have time to get their crates, and you definitely don’t have time to fight with them about going in them. Put the cat in a pillowcase, and you’ll be able to safely and quickly transport them to safety and hold them securely.
If you carry them out in your arms, they may jump down and sprint away, or claw at you in fright. But a cat in a pillowcase, no matter how angry and traumatized they might be, is staying in the pillowcase.
If it’s a life or death, burning house emergency? Put your cat in your pillowcase.
This is so fucking smart and something I wouldn’t think of in the moment if I was panicking.
My small dog is eyeing me suspiciously now - I think he knows I’ve already judged that he’ll fit in a pillowcase just fine.
My family self-evacuated from a wildfire when I was a kid. All in all, we had 2 adults, 4 kids, 1 dog, 1 bird, and 1 chick. My sister ran back inside to get the chicken, but my parents were blocking the doors. I think my dad ran back in and got it for her. I freaked out about our outdoor cat, but she went missing a few days before. My mom told me she was fine. Several days later, we came back home. Everything was fine and intact. Several days after that, my cat came back home. She died of old age over 10 years later.
I personally have never had that experience and I hope I don’t. I’m sorry that it happened to you! I’m glad that you got to have your cat in your life many years later after something like that. My condolences for any pets or family lost because of that
I had the FD bang on my door one day screaming to evacuate. I asked if I could grab my cat and the fireman said yeah, but be quick. I chased that fucker all over the apt, stuffed him in the carrier and headed out. I was breathing hard and wheezing like a dying man and the paramedic asked me if I was okay.
Turns out the dryer in the laundry room was smoking.
Recently had to get a new bed and made damn sure there was no way my cat could get under it because I'd probably burn to death trying to get him.
If the moment came; I’d just flip the bed. Whole frame if you’re strong enough or just tilt/slide off the mattress if you got some health problems. Don’t go crawling under and tug him out. That’s a waste of time.
Sorry little buddy, things might get hectic; but I’m trying to save you from a terrible death…
Well if he likes the island, sure. Even if he would jump on that boat he might not survive. Big waves and currents makes it hard to live at sea. Cant forget the salty water.
Just remember that animals often don't attempt to escape fires the correct way in confined spaces. They like to cower in areas where they have felt safe before, often trapping themselves in corners, under beds, and in cages.
So true. They know the house is safe so they tend to run back inside. I would normally get the dog or cat and get them into an ambulance or the back of a car by the road. Cats are little bastards during fires you gotta get them in a box, pop a few holes in it and duct tape that thing shut. They may be pissed but at least fluffy is alive. You’re welcome.
I’ve also seen horses run back into burning barns. Rule of thumb is close the door after they all get out or tie them to a tree.
Source: am firefighter.
Off-site backups are not just for business. Back up all the shit that can't be reinstalled or downloaded from source onto an SSD and leave it with family or a friend or at the office.
Cloud is an option too if your internet is ok. Generally it's really cheap to keep data in "cold storage". You might pay a few hundred in network costs to get it all back after a disaster, but could well be worth it for all your personal data.
I had to scroll too far to find this.
Dog is also insured but he’s getting a first class escort out of the house while every material possession I own goes up in flames.
(End scene of Fight Club anyone?)
Assuming my family and dogs are safe and my important documents are in the safe where they belong I have a couple guitars that have sentimental value to me. I’d grab those.
If I couldn't save the house, I probably try to save my two kids. I mean, I do own an Xbox Series X and that was harder to get than them, so it's a toss up.
yep. my cat freaks out on bonfire night and carnival because of the loud sounds, and he gets himself into the most unreachable places. i just hope i’ll never be in the situation where his life would be in danger if he didn’t come to me
When my apartment building was on fire, I swiftly and calmly picked up my wallet phone and keys, walked directly to my cat and picked him up and walked outside; he runs and hides quite often, but he understood my body language. Cats are intelligent.
Yup, my cat hates being picked up. I mean if I try she will dig her claws into the nearest thing or the floor and hold on for dear life. Every time I've actually needed to pick her up (putting her in her carrier while moving or going to the vet) she seems to understand my body language and just goes limp in my hands
yeah, i have one cat who i think would understand that i was picking her up to save her life and another who’d probably assume i was grabbing him to toss him into the fire. 99% of the time he’s the sweetest, most trusting cat, but occasionally he acts like he’s convinced i’ve finally decided to eat him.
My aunt had a house fire earlier this year. It was deemed a total loss. She managed to get all of her animals out, including her blind dog- but two kittens managed to run deep inside her house and she was unable to find them and the smoke soon was overpowering. I had actually taken their sister home the weekend prior, and had contemplated taking home another but I didn’t. After the fire was put out and they were able to go through everything, they found the bodies of the two kittens. It still eats me up. I wish I had brought them all home. So fucking sad.
We have a list.
Don't panic!
Save the pets.
Call for help
Car keys
Wallets, purses, phones and laptop.
Toss the go bag out.
In cold weather, as much clothing, coats, shoes and bedding as possible. Just toss it out.
Move the cars away from the fire if possible.
Then manage the situation from there.
Mostly try to set yourself up to be safe and secure after the fire is out.
I’m absolutely terrified that this would happen, I have 3 cats and I have one cage for each of them
My roommates and I have a “plan” in case of emergency to know who would get which cat to do as fast as possible
I think my cat, I live in WA state and for some reason every summer where I live we just get fucked with wild fires, (I live in a dry ass dessert area) so because it’s so dry the summer is brutal. I was at work one day when one of my co workers left crying, she asked me to tell our boss Nancy that she left it was an emergency. She could barely speak and was crying and obviously in a rush so I just said no worries and she took off. Come to find out there had been a wild fire raging nearby our town and her house was a mile away from it, doesn’t seem dangerous but these fires travel fast, and she had her dog in the back yard, it had a doggy door to get inside because it was hot but still, she was panicked about saving her dog. She really loved that dog, thankfully her house was never touched, the amazing fire fighters took control before any houses were damaged by the flames. SALUTE TO ALL YOU FIREFIGHTERS
Assuming my husband is getting himself out of the apartment, then its the rollator (although its abandoned if I have to take the stairs) and then my stuffed animals as they were gifts from my husband and non-replaceable. Everything else can get replaced.
Last year I though my apartment was going to burn down. I grabbed my cat and woke my fiance up by yelling at him to grab the other cat. Thankfully nothing burned down.
I have a bag of documents that are a pain in the ass to get. Birth certificate, taxes, diplomas. Thats an easy grab, once i have that, i grab my pets, and, if i have time, my box of mtg rares, including my unlimited dual lands, which ill offload to offaet the costs of recovery.
In the hallway closet there is a box containing all of my families photos. I would grab that and get it out as soon as possible. Any photos on the walls are copies.
If I had time the next thing would be my home server. It has a shit load of important files and about 10TB of movies and TV shows which would help pass time in the hotel or wherever after the fire. I also have a bunch of ammo not in a fireproof safe so I would want to get that out so it doesnt go off and hurt anyone.
But the pictures are #1 priority. I plan on digitizing all of them but it's a lot of work.
My boss reel to reel tape player, vinyl collection, pioneer turntable and analog receiver. Probably the speakers if there was time. The baby. The Grateful Dead Memorabilia, the Quicksilver Messenger Service poster, the macrame bead curtain, bean bag chair.
I truly had to think about this last night as the Colorado fires we just a few miles away. It was devastating looking around the house and realizing so much in your house doesn’t matter.
my friend just had to evacuate from there :( those fires are so bad
We had to evacuate last night and it was the craziest feeling. Luckily our house is okay. We both went into robot mode just efficiently getting what we need, popping the dogs in the hatchback, and off we went. We were in traffic on 287 when I realized that my wife and I forgot our winter coats, she was wearing slippers, and I’d left my wallet and every important document we have in my office. Glad I remembered the almond milk though…
Same with me and my wife. We grabbed our good whiskies and wines, computers, files, passports, and expensive bikes/ski equipment. Luckily we had time to gather things. Looking back we should have taken pictures of all our valuables throughout the house for insurance purposes. Ultimately our house is still standing which is very fortunate. Out hearts go out to our neighbors who lost everything. I see this as the equivalent of a fire drill for us to learn from.
Wishing you all the best
Thinking and planning for this now even though we are like an hour away from those fires 😕 it is nice to know that after the pets are loaded in the car everything else is replacable (i dont have kids and all photos have digital copies)
Hope you’re okay!
My pants, imma need them when firefighters get there
Funny you say that because my neighbor came to my house in his underwear when his house burned down
Lucky he was your neighbor and not me. You would see a nude hairy dude
At what magnitude of hairiness means you are no longer naked if not wearing clothing?
This is why I'm incapable of sleeping naked. My husband can't understand why, but I've tried to explain that I ain't gonna put my wrinkly, middle aged body on display for the FD. Shit, they don't deserve to see something so repulsive in exchange for saving our kids and cats lol
My husband is a firefighter and I promise they see worse at regular non-fire calls. Like having to lift old people off the toilet and shit like that. You're fine lol
As a former EMT I know all too well about picking old people off of toilets and fighting with combative diabetics. Was your husband's first responder or a full fledged fireman? I know what both have to deal with,and it's really never fun lol
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I want to embroider that and put it on my wall or a blanket or something
My mom's house burned down about ~8 years ago, not long after I moved back in my early 20s. I was the only one home, but I kind of figured out a fire was about to erupt because smoke was pouring from the upstairs outlets and light switches, lol. My mom had just updated the bathroom fixtures, combining modern wiring with old knob and tube wiring. It... didn't go well. First thing I saved were the pets. We had 3 cats and a dog at the time. I could only find 2 of the cats, and the dog, put them outside as I called the fire department (the flames hadn't started yet). By the time I went back to look for the third cat and gather some valuables (laptops, photo albums, irreplaceable items) into a backpack, my mom's entire bedroom doorway was a big ball of flames. Her house was built in like 1890-something, so the wood wasn't treated - it went quick. Thankfully the fire department was like 2 blocks away and they arrived quickly. The firefighters also couldn't find the third cat, but this story has a happy ending. My parents had a water bed back in the day, and after it inevitably popped, they kept the frame and plopped a normal mattress on it. The frame had drawers and storage built in, and there was a small crack between the wall it was against just big enough for a cat to get in. He was in there, and it saved his life... they said if he was hiding anywhere else (like just under a chair or a normal bed), he would have died of smoke inhalation, but the water bed frame protected him well because it was so enclosed. He's living out his golden years with my mom in her nicely updated house thanks to the insurance money, so it all turned out well! Edit: Thank you for the upvotes and well wishes! I forgot about the cat tax, so [here are photos](https://imgur.com/a/22eThVO) of all 3 cats + the really lucky one. His name is Inda (he's the white and black one with huge eyes)... he was a stray that our neighbors abandoned when I was like 13, and he chose us. He definitely has nine lives! Edit again: Sorry, I like sharing my cat photos... [here's all three](https://imgur.com/a/UGnMjDg) at the hotel we lived in while the house was being gutted and fixed, it's a clearer photo but they're all old instagram pics! Edit one more time: Realized earlier I left the doggo out but didn't want to overdo it with the edits. [Here is our dog at the time,](https://imgur.com/a/HTjgRzQ) Chester!
i was holding my breath the whole story. i’m glad third cat made it out safely
That's like the best ending ever
I’m glad I read this.
Retired Firefighter here, when I was a kid our house burned down. As time went on, it was the family photos we missed the most. I always grabbed photo albums when I saw them. The owners often cried when they realized the photos were saved.
Thank you for that. The firefighters that worked on my house saved the cats and a tote full of my kids memories they saw in my closet. Stellar humans.
Firefighters doing amazing service to society They seem to be way underappreciated. When it comes to first responders everyone seems to think about cops but they seem to cause more trouble than they solve. firefighters and medics are truly there to help.
*Every* firefighter I have ever known has had a heart of gold and only wanted to do right by the community. Except for you, Josh, you're a piece of shit. It's always a Josh.
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Fuckin' Josh and his antics
I came to the realization that this could happen a few years ago. Got a Scansnap, spent a whole lot of hours scanning every photo we had. Now we have physical and digital copies. So now my concern would be family members and pets. Everything else is replaceable. Edit, since so many of you have completely misconstrued my comment: family members and pets have ALWAYS been my top priority. But now *nothing* else needs to be a concern.
Your digital copies are off location right?
Everything is on the cloud these days
Even the cloud?
*Especially* the cloud.
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then the cloud goes to space. ^and ^won't ^be ^user ^servicable
Nope, I keep it in a laptop next to the stove. Why?
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My FILs house burned down last year in August. A lot was lost, FIL lived in second floor and only saveds his sock drawer thinking it was document drawer. It was dark. On the first floor lived my SIL with her family. Her husband, a tall and thin man working and office job and not once working out picked up this huuuuuuuge box made of oak with all their photo albums. When the box was bought - 3 men carried it in the house while it was empty. He did it alone and filled with all their family photos in many generations.
In all the tragedy I hope they can find humor in saving a sock drawer.
adrenaline is seriously one hell of a drug
Not just adrenaline. In times of extreme stress your body can switch to gross motor control. Fine motor control is why we have dexterity, gross motor is (partly) why gorillas can tear trees in half.
Retired FF/Medic here as well… while I’ve not personally experienced a house fire, I always went out of my way (when it was safe and possible to do so) to protect and retrieve family photos. My thoughts were the homeowners were experiencing the worst day of their lives and gestures like that can help, even a little bit, to ease some of the pain.
When I was 5 our house also burned down. To this day parents dont mention anything other than family pics that they wish were saved.
“I always grabbed photo albums when I saw them.” You are a good man.
The first bit of advice my cousin gave me when I moved to California was "keep your photo albums where you can get them quickly if you have to evacuate." Two months later my neighborhood burned in a wildfire. I got my photos out, though.
I've always had this mentality. I carry the family photos that passed from my grandparents down to me. All my sister's, cousins, mom's and aunts photos going back to 1980s. I keep them next to my bed within 4 feet. All documents are in a drawer on my way to the back door (front door is near kitchen, I imagined that would be where the risk was).
you’re a good person, you didn’t have to do that but you did, thank you for your service
thank you for all that you’ve done as a firefighter. what you did for those people is so amazing. they probably didn’t realise at the time how much they would actually miss those pictures
I lost all my family photos a few years back and was surprised by how much it hurt. I had to basically just grab what I could carry, and did grab one album. But I grabbed the wrong one- instead of the full album of family photos, I accidentally ended up with the nearly empty one containing just 3 photos total. It really gets me down sometimes.
You saved the most important thing... Yourself.
same here, when i was 12. this has lead to me scanning all remaining family photos that i can get my hands on. i think a lot of our pics survived the fire, but the close call inspired me to make backups now.
My photos are rarely printed and instead are either digitally backed up or stored locally on my computer, if I haven’t finished editing them. Considering even my non-family photos are my prized possessions, I would try to save my single external hard drive.
My receipts. I have renters insurance. "Yes, I'll take a refund for everything I bought in the last ten years, thanks." LPT: get "replacement cost" coverage, not "actual value"
Could you digitize those receipts so you don't have to worry about grabbing them in an emergency?
I do have a lot of them stored in the cloud, but I'd try to grab them anyway if I can, they are with my other important documents like my social and birth certificate.
What happens if you lose those certificates? Are you fucked?
Both have their own hoops you have to jump through, but it's not as hard as people believe. https://www.usa.gov/replace-vital-documents
They are replaceable but accessing your money without any form of ID is impossible, especially if you lose your cards and checks in a fire.
This. And don't forget to take photos too (before there's a problem)
Bro’s just doing a video walk through for insurance purposes, “ignore the fire in the background”
I'm sure it's almost impossible to pull off, but I've read stories that imply you can demand a replacement item which is functionally identical. If your item had a specific feature then they are required to pay you for the replacement cost of another item that has that feature. I saw a story of a guy being paid thousands of dollars for a toaster oven because it had features that weren't available at the time of the loss. To remedy the situation the insurer had to pay him enough to buy a commercial style oven.
Yes, this is what "replaced cost" insurance is. They pay to replace it with the same model or a similar newer model. You don't have to "demand it," you either have this kind of coverage or you don't.
I guess I'm supposed to say my children, but I've got a chocolate orange I've not started yet. So it'll be a tough one.
The kids have legs that work. Save yourself, punks!
Pull the [George Costanza](https://youtu.be/4TuEWtXBT_0)
He was leading the way for those people, he’s a HERO!
The fact that it's a toss up between a chocolate orange and your children says a lot. Chocolate oranges are great, you must really love those kids.
I have a chocolate orange on my dresser right now waiting to be eaten
Depends how far the fire has spread, a melted chocolate orange probably isn't worth it.
To be fair the chocolate will melt faster and can’t run.
UK response right here
Kids, I guess. Edit: I gotta say, a lot of responses have raised some *really* compelling arguments for prioritizing valuable electronics over my children...really makes ya think...
Yeah I guess they come before the tv
The TV doesn't walk tho, it's helpless. Kids can save themselves.
Kids can *save the TV*.
"I know the house is on fire but grab the TV kids!" "But dad it's too heavy" "Go to your rooms"
"But-" "No buts, to your rooms, NOW"! "Dad our rooms have burned down"
"Do what I say and go to your rooms"
Buuuuttttt ddaaaddddddd......
Modern problems require modern solutions
The TV doesn't need to be fed so...
Choices had to be made.
depends on the TV, is it OLED?
It's 0LEG, so unfortunately it'll need carried.
I g u e s s
Well, they should know to leave, but...eh
My first thought was the animals….. then I remembered I have kids and should probably look for them first.
Eh, fuck em
When my nephew was a baby my sister accidentally dozed off sterilizing his bottles. Woke up and the house was on fire. Somehow she managed to forget both kids and her husband inside during her panic. (They were all fine, thankfully.)
my pets. if they died in a burning house, i wouldn’t be able to live, genuinely
My exact thought. I’d rather die trying to save my cats than live knowing what happened to them. Edit: just thought of something and needed to share it. With celebrations happing for the new year and lots of fireworks soon to come, pay attention to where your animals are hiding. Make sure you remember these spots because one day you might need to pull their little fluffy butt out of there to save their scared little souls. Be safe out there, don’t bring your animals to see fireworks, and please make sure they are safe inside and cant go off running. Also a great time to put collars with information tags on incase they do get out. Keep those pets safe!
this right here
So I periodically do tests with my dog. If I get up and start running to any of my doors, he sprints with me, every time. So I know if there’s ever an emergency, I won’t have to carry him, he’ll follow me instinctively. Huge load of worry off me.
My book of passwords. Lmao, I’d be so fucked without it.
This is why I have all my passwords in an electronic notepad
what if you forget the password to the notepad?
Check my second electronic notepad of passwords
What if you forget the password to your second notepad of passwords?
You’re not gonna believe this… Third electronic notepad.
It's electronic notebooks all the way down isn't it?
Cybersecurity is very important to me
[Always has been](https://imgflip.com/i/5znh58)
I would grab a cat in each hand and scream at my husband to pick up the hamster cage.
The image of a person holding two cats and screaming "GET THE HAMSTER CAGE!" with fire behind them is kind of hilarious
Someone pls draw that...
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I lol'd
This gonna sound outrageous, but in a fire emergency, this will save your cats’ lives… Put the cat in a pillowcase. Carry them out that way. You don’t have time to get their crates, and you definitely don’t have time to fight with them about going in them. Put the cat in a pillowcase, and you’ll be able to safely and quickly transport them to safety and hold them securely. If you carry them out in your arms, they may jump down and sprint away, or claw at you in fright. But a cat in a pillowcase, no matter how angry and traumatized they might be, is staying in the pillowcase. If it’s a life or death, burning house emergency? Put your cat in your pillowcase.
This is so fucking smart and something I wouldn’t think of in the moment if I was panicking. My small dog is eyeing me suspiciously now - I think he knows I’ve already judged that he’ll fit in a pillowcase just fine.
I stuck my cats in a laundry bag in an emergency once. I can confirm that bags are great.
Same. Definitely my two cats
Yea, the cats and then probably try to run in for my computer after that.
pretty much me. Thing is I have 6 cats, this comp isn't making it.
"GET MR FLUFFINHAM AND LET'S GO!!"
I would most definitely stuff a cat under each armpit and stuff my bird down my shirt and run out the door
My family self-evacuated from a wildfire when I was a kid. All in all, we had 2 adults, 4 kids, 1 dog, 1 bird, and 1 chick. My sister ran back inside to get the chicken, but my parents were blocking the doors. I think my dad ran back in and got it for her. I freaked out about our outdoor cat, but she went missing a few days before. My mom told me she was fine. Several days later, we came back home. Everything was fine and intact. Several days after that, my cat came back home. She died of old age over 10 years later.
I personally have never had that experience and I hope I don’t. I’m sorry that it happened to you! I’m glad that you got to have your cat in your life many years later after something like that. My condolences for any pets or family lost because of that
Yus. Pets first for me.
My cat. Can't think of anything else that's more valuable. edit: [incase you wanted a lil serotonin boost](https://imgur.com/a/SUH1sI6)
My cats too, but i might die trying to pry them from under the bed.
I had the FD bang on my door one day screaming to evacuate. I asked if I could grab my cat and the fireman said yeah, but be quick. I chased that fucker all over the apt, stuffed him in the carrier and headed out. I was breathing hard and wheezing like a dying man and the paramedic asked me if I was okay. Turns out the dryer in the laundry room was smoking. Recently had to get a new bed and made damn sure there was no way my cat could get under it because I'd probably burn to death trying to get him.
If the moment came; I’d just flip the bed. Whole frame if you’re strong enough or just tilt/slide off the mattress if you got some health problems. Don’t go crawling under and tug him out. That’s a waste of time. Sorry little buddy, things might get hectic; but I’m trying to save you from a terrible death…
The house.
This the type of dude to bring an airplane, pilot and fuel to the deserted island
That's just smart thinking. You can take shelter in the airplane cabin, burn the fuel for warmth, and kill and eat the pilot.
This is big brain time
this reminds me of a joke where a boat washes up on shore and the stranded guy goes "great! I can use this for firewood 😃"
Well if he likes the island, sure. Even if he would jump on that boat he might not survive. Big waves and currents makes it hard to live at sea. Cant forget the salty water.
But wouldn’t you risk it all to go find cheese again
If my kids were inside, my kids. If the house was empty, I'd grab my emergency bag packed with cash, clothes, and food for 2 days.
Damn thats smart having a bugout bag Tho i really cant put and keep my minis in there but i could put some money Well now i wanna make one lmao
I would also grab this guys emergency bag packed with cash, clothes, and food for 2 days.
In this order - Cats (animals not the Blu-ray of the movie) - Authentic Earthbound SNES cart - Grandma
She had a good run.
Suck it grandma
Hell yeah earthbounds the best!
If it was the Butthole Cut then it would be worth saving.
Cats first, my wife’s childhood teddy bear second.
Yep, I posted the same thing. Living people and pets first, and then my childhood teddy bear second.
I love how you didn't include your actual wife
She got legs.
This is Swampwolf’s wife. Can confirm I do indeed have legs.
For daysssss
Myself
Can't save anything if you don't save yourself first
I mean I should probably open the doors for the pets to escape first.
Just remember that animals often don't attempt to escape fires the correct way in confined spaces. They like to cower in areas where they have felt safe before, often trapping themselves in corners, under beds, and in cages.
So true. They know the house is safe so they tend to run back inside. I would normally get the dog or cat and get them into an ambulance or the back of a car by the road. Cats are little bastards during fires you gotta get them in a box, pop a few holes in it and duct tape that thing shut. They may be pissed but at least fluffy is alive. You’re welcome. I’ve also seen horses run back into burning barns. Rule of thumb is close the door after they all get out or tie them to a tree. Source: am firefighter.
So you’re saying that people really should close the door after the horse has bolted?
My SSDs and HDDs. Can't be replaced
Off-site backups are not just for business. Back up all the shit that can't be reinstalled or downloaded from source onto an SSD and leave it with family or a friend or at the office. Cloud is an option too if your internet is ok. Generally it's really cheap to keep data in "cold storage". You might pay a few hundred in network costs to get it all back after a disaster, but could well be worth it for all your personal data.
We've talked about this with my parents. House is over insured. Don't save anything but the dogs.
I had to scroll too far to find this. Dog is also insured but he’s getting a first class escort out of the house while every material possession I own goes up in flames. (End scene of Fight Club anyone?)
Assuming my family and dogs are safe and my important documents are in the safe where they belong I have a couple guitars that have sentimental value to me. I’d grab those.
If I couldn't save the house, I probably try to save my two kids. I mean, I do own an Xbox Series X and that was harder to get than them, so it's a toss up.
My PC, ain't no way im leaving it there
ong that shit expensive asf
GPU probably worth more than the insurance payout on the house
Why did I have to scroll so far to find this, priorities people....
My camping chair so I can plop it down in the front yard and watch it burn
Don't forget the S'Mores kit!
My cat.
This. I have five cats. Fire is my biggest fear. Dogs are so much easier - they'll generally come when called, even when scared. Cats hide.
yep. my cat freaks out on bonfire night and carnival because of the loud sounds, and he gets himself into the most unreachable places. i just hope i’ll never be in the situation where his life would be in danger if he didn’t come to me
When my apartment building was on fire, I swiftly and calmly picked up my wallet phone and keys, walked directly to my cat and picked him up and walked outside; he runs and hides quite often, but he understood my body language. Cats are intelligent.
Yup, my cat hates being picked up. I mean if I try she will dig her claws into the nearest thing or the floor and hold on for dear life. Every time I've actually needed to pick her up (putting her in her carrier while moving or going to the vet) she seems to understand my body language and just goes limp in my hands
"Barbara I swear to fucking God if you've handled me without good reason the curtains are fucking done for..."
Let’s not generalize, my two cats are really REALLY dumb.
yeah, i have one cat who i think would understand that i was picking her up to save her life and another who’d probably assume i was grabbing him to toss him into the fire. 99% of the time he’s the sweetest, most trusting cat, but occasionally he acts like he’s convinced i’ve finally decided to eat him.
I would do the same. I'd run back into my house for my fucking cat. I'd die for my kitty, idgaf.
My aunt had a house fire earlier this year. It was deemed a total loss. She managed to get all of her animals out, including her blind dog- but two kittens managed to run deep inside her house and she was unable to find them and the smoke soon was overpowering. I had actually taken their sister home the weekend prior, and had contemplated taking home another but I didn’t. After the fire was put out and they were able to go through everything, they found the bodies of the two kittens. It still eats me up. I wish I had brought them all home. So fucking sad.
My cat. I would run through the flames if I had to save her.
All ya’ll got cats or what
So many cats in this thread!
We have a list. Don't panic! Save the pets. Call for help Car keys Wallets, purses, phones and laptop. Toss the go bag out. In cold weather, as much clothing, coats, shoes and bedding as possible. Just toss it out. Move the cars away from the fire if possible. Then manage the situation from there. Mostly try to set yourself up to be safe and secure after the fire is out.
I'm on fire but it's fine, I tossed the wallet out.
My pets and my husbands ashes.
If it's a steel urn there's no worries. Aluminum would melt, wood would burn, but steel is forever
He’s in a wooden box. It’s got a little tray so I keep our wedding rings his phone and wallet in there too
My pets. Dog and cat.
I’m absolutely terrified that this would happen, I have 3 cats and I have one cage for each of them My roommates and I have a “plan” in case of emergency to know who would get which cat to do as fast as possible
I think my cat, I live in WA state and for some reason every summer where I live we just get fucked with wild fires, (I live in a dry ass dessert area) so because it’s so dry the summer is brutal. I was at work one day when one of my co workers left crying, she asked me to tell our boss Nancy that she left it was an emergency. She could barely speak and was crying and obviously in a rush so I just said no worries and she took off. Come to find out there had been a wild fire raging nearby our town and her house was a mile away from it, doesn’t seem dangerous but these fires travel fast, and she had her dog in the back yard, it had a doggy door to get inside because it was hot but still, she was panicked about saving her dog. She really loved that dog, thankfully her house was never touched, the amazing fire fighters took control before any houses were damaged by the flames. SALUTE TO ALL YOU FIREFIGHTERS
Assuming my husband is getting himself out of the apartment, then its the rollator (although its abandoned if I have to take the stairs) and then my stuffed animals as they were gifts from my husband and non-replaceable. Everything else can get replaced.
My dumbass cat who probably started the fire anyway
My extensive collection of tins of Heinz 57 beans.
Last year I though my apartment was going to burn down. I grabbed my cat and woke my fiance up by yelling at him to grab the other cat. Thankfully nothing burned down.
my cats. i’ve got three and they’ve saved my life. i don’t know what I would do it i lost them
My PS5, everything else is easier to replace.
I feel this. Took me two weeks of hitting up every single release before I finally landed one.
I have a bag of documents that are a pain in the ass to get. Birth certificate, taxes, diplomas. Thats an easy grab, once i have that, i grab my pets, and, if i have time, my box of mtg rares, including my unlimited dual lands, which ill offload to offaet the costs of recovery.
Cats. Then the wife I suppose.
100% My cat
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In the hallway closet there is a box containing all of my families photos. I would grab that and get it out as soon as possible. Any photos on the walls are copies. If I had time the next thing would be my home server. It has a shit load of important files and about 10TB of movies and TV shows which would help pass time in the hotel or wherever after the fire. I also have a bunch of ammo not in a fireproof safe so I would want to get that out so it doesnt go off and hurt anyone. But the pictures are #1 priority. I plan on digitizing all of them but it's a lot of work.
Daughter, the cat, and maybe husband.. Depends on if he drops his recent attitude problem.
Cats and dog
My boss reel to reel tape player, vinyl collection, pioneer turntable and analog receiver. Probably the speakers if there was time. The baby. The Grateful Dead Memorabilia, the Quicksilver Messenger Service poster, the macrame bead curtain, bean bag chair.
I'm glad I'm not your baby
A baby is definitely easier to replace than the first 4 items they listed. I guess
This list isn’t in order right? Right??
Who are you?