View Full Version : So what would y'all take?
http://theburninghouse.com/page/17
The above website is interesting to look at. This was reality for us a few years back. The hills of San Diego were burning, we had to evacuate. This is what we took. We had 1 hour notice to get out.
3 family member and 1 dog
1. Laptop
2. Purse- wallets, keys, phones, wedding bands.
3. Bin with kiddos artwork and special things.
4. 2 bags of clothing/shoes/medications/hygiene products
5. Blankets and pillows
6. Backpack with DS Legos, dog and a few books.
7. Lease, bowl, food for dog
8. Bag with non perishable food, 10 gallons of water we had on hand, can opener, spoon, fork and microwaveable bowl for each of us.
9. Firebox with key
10. Personal pics off the walls- we put them in a box in the back seat.
We lived in a hotel like this for 5 days. I have never had such clarity with packing. I didn't like the fire part but I was sure happier with less stuff.
Having been through this, we grabbed our pets, freed the goats from their pen in front of the house, and got our vehicles the hell out of the woods surrounding the cabin on fire. We had zero notice. We found the fire in the ceiling, after a terribly bad week of storms had downed power for the entire county.
Phone was dead, it was 6-7 pm, dark, on Dec. 29th, and we were on an isthmus deep in the woods, on a southern point of the island. We heard crackling, like mice in the walls, saw smoke pouring out of the roof, and I could see flames shooting up between the drop ceiling & cedar shake roof, because there was a gap in the hole cut to allow the single wall stove pipe through. No working smoke alarm... Two hours later, we'd have been asleep in the loft, and likely have died from smoke inhalation.
We'd spent the day chainsawing downed doug firs, five huge ones, to clear the road in case we wanted to walk out the next day. Good thing we did, otherwise the entire point would have gone up, as no fire trucks would have made it out in time to prevent this. It was the volunteer crews third fire that day, and they were exhausted, but amazing, of course! Thank you, Bae, for being one of these heroes.
The cause was an improperly installed woodstove (no one in their right minds uses single wall stovepipe, & there was no permit... we had asked if the stove was cleaned, not legal, when we rented the place!), and the landlord tried to blame us. We successfully sued for our losses. It took two years to get a settlement, and then the insurance company breadhed their own offer and refused to pay us. Our pro bono attorney went after them, and we eventually got a check. Quite an experience, the easiest move I've ever made, and my second big fire on the island. The first was a barn fire a decade earlier which killed some hogs... but that's another story...
I live in an area subject to wildfire, so we are ready to depart on a moment's notice.
I would put in one of the cars/trucks:
Wife, daughter, 2 dogs, cat, guinea pig
Keys to boat
Cell phone, wallets, passports, folder with important papers, cash
Small bin of high-value items if time permits
The bin of bug-out gear in the garage
I'd send them on their way, then I'd hop in my truck, and head to the easiest-to-get-to staging point:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-IKuYid-d6Ks/UPhcrOY7s3I/AAAAAAAAHJc/2XaynXQmlzo/s640/Awesomized.jpg
decemberlov
3-12-13, 2:47pm
Luckily I have never been in this situation but here what I would bring:
1. kids, DH & Dog
2. Dog Food & Leash
3. Folder with SS Cards & Birth Certificates
4. Wallet
5. Camping Bin that holds extra tooth brushes, toothpaste, cooking utensils, instant oatmeal etc.
6. Tent
7. Sleeping Bags
8. Guitar
9. 2-3 pairs of clothes each.
10. Cell Phone & Charger
We didn't have to leave during our close call (the wind shifted), but we did have a Deputy tell us that if he came back we'd have 5 minutes so I went ahead and packed up the bed of my pick-up. Very similar list to others here...
1. DW and the kids were gone so I called to tell them to stay that way.
2. Pets - 1 cat into the travel cage, 2 dogs on ropes tied to my truck so they would be close by
3. Computer CPU - this was pre-cloud
4. One box of old family photos that I had not yet scanned
5. Two bins of camping gear from garage + 2 tents + Coleman stove and fuel
6. Fireproof box with passports, vehicle titles, SS cards, some cash and other important docs
7. A stuffed suitcase from each family members dresser and closet - pure grab and go, 5 packed in 5 minutes
8. Sleeping bags for everyone, most were in closets next to suitcases
9. Chainsaw, long bars, pick, shovels - it was 4 miles down the mountain to the valley floor so anything could happen
10. Everyone's cell phone charger - they were all different then
11. I doubt it would have helped much, but I turned on our landscape sprinkler system full blast (we had a very good defensible barrier around the house)
12. A cooler full of beer to sit and watch the fire with the neighbors while the bombers flew a couple hundred feet over our heads
As part of our reorganize for DS's room, we actually got our whole EQ kit together:
A. Cool old Army Trunk holds:
1. copies of all relevant documents/identifications, copies of keys, and money;
2. solar/crank emergency radio with american plug and american adaptor;
3. 3 days of food for each of us and basic cook gear for us;
4. toiletries for all (extra toothbrush each, baking soda, honey, coconut oil, and hard soap; nail kit; comb; diva cup);
5. first aid kit;
6. two layered outfits each -- underwear, wool under later, heavy canvas pants and button down shirt, sweater, rain layer, wool socks;
7. 3 emergency bivi-sacks (gifted to us);
8. card game, story book collection, notebooks/pens/pencils/colors, spare harmonica for DS.
B. Water -- currently we have 15 liters, I need 30 more liters to meet the basic standard for civil defense.
C. gum boots -- each of us now owns a pair of *good* wellington or gum boots. These are great for rain/cold -- so the best choice if we need to leave.
D. computers, back up, thumb drives, cell phone. These are all kept near the EQ kit when we are at home, so it would be one place to go to grab everything.
I think i'd like to actually get a solar kit -- it would fit into the trunk, still (there's a bit of space still!),
E. If we had time to grab anything else, DS could grab some lego and favorite items for his back pack, and I'd probably grab another pair of shoes for all of us.
It's actually *not* that much stuff. The hardest part is replenishing DS's clothes as he grows. I tend to buy that stuff used, and finding what I want/need isn't always easy. But, we do the best we can.
DH and cats.
Documents and cash from safe.
Change of clothes, glasses, and toiletries.
Kids and cats in carriers (as they are not well behaved--the cats, I mean)
Purse, which contains wallet, keys and cell phone. There is a spare charger in my car.
That's it.
Papers and cash are in safety deposit box. And a copy of everything is at my mom's house 2 hours away. We do not get wildfires here...mostly tornados and more rarely floods.
Like bae, once I had secured my immediate family, I would go to work helping others more affected. But I don't have the cool fireproof outfit.
In my car, I keep a plastic rain poncho and some granola bars and one of those 15 in one tools. I haven't had to use any of this stuff in all my adulthood...but you never know.
Wildflower
3-14-13, 4:20am
We had a fire at the house we lived in previous to this one many years ago. We had but 5 minutes to get out of that house. We grabbed kids and pets, but that was it. No time for anything else. Of course, that was all that really mattered anyway...
Now if I had plenty of time, say an hour, I know exactly what I would get out - some clothes, underwear, shoes, jackets, blankets, all of my deceased mother's artwork, family photos, important papers, obviously, our dogs and cats plus supplies for them, a few sentimental objects, important jewelry, eyeglasses, cellphone, car keys, flashlight, water bottles, protein bars, and prescription meds. That would be it. I have no problem losing anything else. It's just stuff and starting over again would not be a problem for me...
Maxamillion
3-14-13, 4:30am
I've been through this before. When I ran into the house, the only thing I had on my mind was getting my grandfather out. A cop ran in after me and wouldn't let me go any further. After the fire, when they found my grandfather's body, he was in the next room, less than 15 feet away from where the cop stopped me. Haunts me so bad to this day. One of the worst feelings in the world is watching your house burn down, knowing a family member is still inside.
Wildflower
3-14-13, 4:53am
I'm so sorry, Maxamillion.
What a sad and difficult thing, Maxamillion.
Maxamillion
3-14-13, 8:10am
The one small comfort was that he wouldn't have suffered long and he would've preferred going quickly rather than by a long drawn-out illness. If the fire had happened later than it did, everyone would've been asleep and I would've lost most of my family.
A cop ran in after me and wouldn't let me go any further. ... Haunts me so bad to this day.
I'm sorry for your loss, Maxamillion.
Know that you should never run back into a fire without proper protective gear, including breathing apparatus. Pulling people out of a fire in real life isn't like it is portrayed in movies - you don't run into some smoke, cough a little bit, and drag out someone else. In real life, the products of combustion can kill you with a *single unprotected breath*.
The police officer that day likely kept you from becoming a casualty as well.
I'm sorry for your loss, Maxamillion.
Know that you should never run back into a fire without proper protective gear, including breathing apparatus. Pulling people out of a fire in real life isn't like it is portrayed in movies - you don't run into some smoke, cough a little bit, and drag out someone else. In real life, the products of combustion can kill you with a *single unprotected breath*.
The police officer that day likely kept you from becoming a casualty as well.
Oh my. It's true, and how horrific all around. Hugs, Maxamillion...
We can't plan on having the car available for us to bug out. Our parking system has it on the fourth level of a rotating system powered by electricity.
A true bug out for us would possibly include an overseas flight so it needs to all fit on a carryon and light enough for wimpy me to carry long distances.
Our bag so far includes:
Important papers like passports, etc.
Cell charger
Food: Tuna packets, precooked rice packets, instant coffee & tea packets, trail mix
First Aid Kit
Clean underwear & socks
Instant heat pads like what snowboarders wear
Personal items like toothbrushes, TP!
Dust Masks, earplugs
MultiTool
Solar Flashlight
Glasses
Zipbags, foil
babywipes
A few extra clothes
Maxamillion
3-14-13, 8:05pm
The police officer that day likely kept you from becoming a casualty as well.
Probably did. When it comes to the people I love though, keeping them safe is the first thing on my mind.
I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to derail the thread. If there was some sort of evacuation and we had advanced notice, once everyone was safe and in the car, I'd grab my laptop, family photos, prescription meds, bug out bag, and would probably already have wallet, cellphone, and keys in my pocket.
Ugh. Fire season started today with a 800ish acre fire and evacuations. So glad I don't live in the foothills but I really should get my inventory done: anyone can have a house fire, as many have demonstrated on this thread. Any of those poor folks in wildfire territory are crazy not to have spent some of the (short) winter preparing IMO.
I anticipate I'd have 5 min or less so my checklist goes:
Pets
Purse
Phone
Hard drive
If I had more time I would probably get my jewelry box and maybe some art. After that, some camping/backpacking gear depending on the situation. I can't currently think of a situation in which I'd have several hours or days to prep to maybe leave forever except Yellowstone blowing or invasion by some foreign power (the Chinese?) so I haven't done a lot of planning for that sort of thing.
I live in an area subject to wildfire, so we are ready to depart on a moment's notice.
I would put in one of the cars/trucks:
Wife, daughter, 2 dogs, cat, guinea pig
Keys to boat
Cell phone, wallets, passports, folder with important papers, cash
Small bin of high-value items if time permits
The bin of bug-out gear in the garage
I'd send them on their way, then I'd hop in my truck, and head to the easiest-to-get-to staging point:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-IKuYid-d6Ks/UPhcrOY7s3I/AAAAAAAAHJc/2XaynXQmlzo/s640/Awesomized.jpg
Hey Bae - way too much gear! This is how we (me) dress when we fight fires in the tropics :-)! Not really - just on occasion like then - but it is more comfortable! And of course they didn't let me keep my cool firefighting outfit or equiptment (used an OBA rather than a SCBA or Scott air pack) after I was out. Bummer :-(
http://www.simplelivingforum.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=1195&d=1363797851
I would take my dog and my one small box of important papers and photos and my bug-out bag. Everything else can burn. And maybe my extra firearms and ammo as I wouldn't want them going off in a fire if firefighters were in there. I use to live in the mountain where fire season was a very big deal but now that I live by the coast the only fires I have to worry about are things like electrical fires, etc... at my own house.
((Maximillion)) - I'm so sorry. Very sad.
Dogs, bird, dogfood, birdfood, meds, a few clothes for DH and me, toothbrushes and paste, eye drops, wills & related papers, phone-and-address list of friends & companies we use, laptop, sleeping bags if could fit them in, a little raw food and small pot for cooking. What is a bug-out-bag?
Hey Bae - way too much gear! This is how we (me) dress when we fight fires in the tropics :-)!
Trust me, it's quite...tropical....inside that suit, even in cold weather :-)
Trust me, it's quite...tropical....inside that suit, even in cold weather :-)
It's in tropical vacation all by itself - or a day in the sauna at a spa!! And all in front of a cozy roaring fire! Just keep telling yourself that evrytime you suit up :-)!
awakenedsoul
3-21-13, 6:22pm
A few years ago we had really bad wildfires. We were surrounded on three sides. I loaded the car and left in about five mins. I took my three dogs, a large 5 gallon bottle of water, a change of clothing and pajamas, dog food, snacks, my files and work binder. I drove to my parents' house. The freeways going South were gridlocked. I drove North. The worst thing was that I had to leave my chickens in their coop and my pot bellied pig in the backyard. I was afraid if I left the coop open, the chickens would get killed by a hawk or racoon. There was no way I could fit the pot bellied pig in my Kia Rio, (with three large dogs!) I left the gate open so that she could squeeze through the wood fence if she needed to. They all survived. It was really scary, though.
Maxmillion,
That's terribly sad. You did your best.
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