Hypothetical: What Would You Save in a Fire?

[Adele, Moderator]

I Have just discovered this site called theburninghouse.com which allows people to upload pictures and lists of what they would save and why.

I thought I’d try to start my own (or at least a discussion on it!).
So If your house was on fire and you could only save a few treasured possessions, what would they be?

Now this is assuming that all family members, pets and other living things are already out of the house, so only focus on your material desires!

Pictures are Optional but I want a list of things you would save and why.
For this hypothetical situation I want you to Keep in mind that you have gone into a “burning house” so try to keep the list short, unless you want to make a couple of trips! (In which case you get smoke inhalation and you may end up needing to be saved!)

The common answer used to be pictures, but now with the invent of online photo sharing this may not be the most common answer anymore, so lets see what it is now.

[Adele, Moderator]

Now assuming my Dogs, guinea pig,and my mum and brother were saved...this is hard... i'm such a hoarder!

Here is my list:
* The Family Dictionary (been in the family for 3 generations now!)
* My Teddy (yellow ted) I got when I was 1 week old
* My doll (baby) that I got when I was 3 hours old (yeah I’m sentimental)
* Laptop & charger, external hard drive.
* My trusty Notebook and my pencil case
* Keys, purse, handbag
* Clothes (as many as I can grab) ...lets not forget underwear!
* A bag to put everything in
* My camera
* Coin & Stone and Gem collection
* Sentimental Pieces of Jewellery (especially the ones I got from my boyfriend)
* Medication! Cannot forget that!

I think that’s it. That list is what I think would be most practical, obviously I can’t save my books as I have too many (*sniff*).

[H.K.]

When we had ours, we each grabbed a weiner dog, I zipped our daughter up in her parka while I called 911 and I walked past the tote full of pics to grab the laptop. Theory was: Mom takes more pics than I do anyway and everything that was uniquely ours was on the computer. Now I would say we would do probably the same thing today if we had to and we know to look behind the toilet for the second weiner dog. (funny as can be if it wasn't for the situation, we'd just adopted the poor little guy).

[Riley]

same here, laptop for sure and my Vamptasy books of course!

[[deleted user]]

For me;

1) My 24 year old Fisher-price Puffalump called mousey (my comforter had her since my first christmas).. I actually had a nightmare the other night that the looters got hold of mousey and we found her (thats bad i refer to a stuffed toy as her).. she was tied to a disserted lamp-post and mum would let me go get her so I started crying hysterically! cause they wouldn't let me rescue her :'( I dont know where my boyfriend was during this nightmare though opps! anyways back on topic!

2)Some sentimental jewellary eg: from relatives gifts & inherited pieces.

3) My Kindle & some favourite hardcopies.

4) My Laptop and Current Uni work!

5) MY Phone,

Wouldn't bother with clothes as it would just give me an excuse to by a whole new wardrobe!

[H.K.]

I was thinking about the book loss, could that be an ad campaign for Kindle or Nooks? Just grab one thing instead of lugging out a bookshelf? People like us would get that. :P

[C.D.]

Oh my, now I'm going to have to get a laptop, because my computer is the one thing I'd have to save and I don't want to lug my tower out the window. There are unpublished books on there I'd be devastated to lose.

[Adele, Moderator]

C.D. wrote: "Oh my, now I'm going to have to get a laptop, because my computer is the one thing I'd have to save and I don't want to lug my tower out the window. There are unpublished books on there I'd be dev..."

a cheaper alternative would be a portable hard drive.
Put thenm on there as a back up!

[April]

I'd grab a 72 hr kit/backpack (should put one together lol), my pioneer doll, (named Betty) I've had since I was 3 yrs old, my scriptures, journals, sketch pads, art work, some clothes, purse, cell phone & charger, pillow and blanket, money, our camping tent, my kindle, geneaology books

That portable hard drive is a very good idea!

[Mari]

Having lost things in the past. And had to rebuild a household, its tough, but the 3 most important things.
1. Our safe (portable and all the big documents are in there.
2. Netbook
3. Purse.
The rest can be replaced.

[H.K.]

Isn't that funny once you lose so much what you learn you REALLY need? (Not saying anything against what anyone else would grab, merely a personal observation). My husband, the packrat, learned a few things too. ;)

[Adele, Moderator]

lately i have also been thinking if i was told to evacuate what would i take?
it's the samesort of thing really. and yes it's very true about learning what you really need. i may not ha been in that situation, but from childhood i was taught to prepare to stay alive. i'm not sure about kids in this generation.
and if it was part of the bubble wrap technique that mum my had to child rearing(lol).

[Kate]

Having had to start over so many times in my life for a number of raesons, I am not really attached to anything. I do have a small list, however.

Granted my husband, children, brother and dogs were all safely outside:

1. My laptop - it's how I work. Replaceable, yes, but without it, I can't provide for my family.
2. My phone - once again, work related. oh, and I will need something to dial 911 from, lol.
3. My purse - contains my entire identity and my children's identity - driver's license, immunization cards, social security cards - I even used to store birth certificates in there but they got lost so I don't do that anymore.
4. My blue box - it contains papers on the house, house insurance and birth certificates. There are also a couple of love letters in there from my hubby when we first met, so very valuable to me.
5. A change of clothes for everyone - although this would probably keep me trapped in the house, lol. Laundry is not my friend. I hate folding it, hate putting it away and almost always have piles of it everywhere, making it an enduring task to find even one outfit. So, I guess I would just grab as much as I could, throwing it out the front door and picking it up when I got back outside safely.
6. Shoes for everyone - that would be easy, they are right by the front door.

That's it. Everything else can be replaced. Some stuff harder than others but still replaceable, nonetheless. I dont' have any sentimental items left in my life and my making it out safely would be more important than even the items I have listed. I have had to leave everything before - everything. It was hard. I lost pictures, baby books, my deceased mother's china, even her ashes but life went on and even though I miss those things sometimes, I realize that it is just stuff. Life moved on. I have learned that there is no material item worth your life the hard way.

[H.K.]

Well said Cathy, everything is replaceable except for the living. Hard to believe sometimes, but it's no less true.

[Adele, Moderator]

Hear hear Cathy.
Reality is very different.
Yes we may make a list but put in that situation, a lot of people forget that they should have important documents in one place(i have something similar to your "blue box") and take it with them.
then there are others who go back in to get these things(a lot of those end up losing their life).

everywhere you are taught:
when you are told to evacuate nothing is more important than a life.

i know in Japan they have regular drills and are pretty much prepared for earthquakes (they even have these cushion hats that they wear).

In your country what safety programs do you have? what natural disasters are commonplace? and are personally prepared for?

[Ray]

all my writing and my ebooks are backed up on my 1TB usb drive. I'd grab that and my blue ted who has gone everywhere I have (including my entire RAF career). and a pair of my nike air huarches. they're almost impossible to replace in my size now.

Oh, and all my handwritten book/story notes by my PC.
They would be impossible to replace. or remember.

[Lynda]

Personally I'd take out the fire. That's not original. I think Cliff Richard said it first although I suspect he got it off someone else. Terry Pratchett did much the same. His golem firefighters did just that... removed the fire & left the house.
Actually since most of my stuff's stored off-site, the only thing I would need is my book in which I keep all my passwords. And even that is being updated, so just a new laptop please. I am fully insured. I could do with better hardware.

[Julie]

I keep all my valuables including my laptops in a large fireproof safe, plus all my stuff is updated on backup. So, really it would just be my butt to save and any other butts in the house.

[Jeana]

If all my family members and pets are safe then I'd have to go for my external hard drive. All pictures, music and anime are stored on there. Then I would for sure grab my phone along with my purse which has my wallet in it and my wallet has precious things like debit and credit cards.

[Adele, Moderator]

oh wow i was going to re vamp this topic.... i think i might leave it for now and pick it up on the next one.

its a really interesting situation. in theory we might be prepared but in reality we might not be once panic and worry sets in.

this topic was thought of after recent bushfires in my state. bushfires are a bit different from house fires but the concept is still the same. grab what you can and survive.

here is a further question to ponder. have you got any preparations for emergency situations?

i have a box of candles along with matches and a first aid kit. as well as batteries and a torch. as well as medications and pain relief. that is pretty much what is i the "emergency box". it gets used whenever i have a power blackout.

[Norma, BOM & Co Moderator]

My wedding ring. Yes, I would jump into fire to save my wedding ring. And my family of course, that is a given, but something that I don't NEED and completely selfish.. my wedding ring.

[Lynda]

I'm a grandmother. I'm prepared for everything short of decapitation. My first aid box has a suture kit.... there are wind-up torches all over the place, fire extinguishers too... comes from working all my life in a dangerous environment. the only things I lack are guns & a panic room. I'm not thinking of adding them, either.

On that note, if the worst came to the worst, what would make YOU give up, lie down and die?