You've Got Five Minutes
What would you take with you if you only had five minutes to escape your home with your life?
I've been feeling skittish for days. It's been so hot that we'd been put under the highest alert for fire danger.
I've been feeling skittish for days. It's been so hot that we'd been put under the highest alert for fire danger.
We live in a fairly secluded area, and our volunteer fire department is about three miles away. For weeks, I've been hearing their sirens at all hours of the day and night.
Even a tiny fire is dangerous. The winds are gusting up to 50 miles an hour. A fire can get away from you in an instant. And we're surrounded by trees.
I've decided to keep my truck filled up in case I have to leave quickly. People seem to be doing a good job of stopping any fire before it gets out of hand, but at least two towns south of us had a few houses and cars burn from a runaway fire.
Yesterday, we finally had rain. I never thought I'd be so grateful. We're not out of the woods though. We're still in triple digits and within hours all that rain sucked into the earth. It's dry as a bone again.
If a fire does hit us, I made myself an escape plan. If it came down to evacuating, I'd let the chickens loose, gather the dogs, my computer tower, and photo albums, and go upwind of any fire danger.
My house is mostly brick and glass, but the roof is still vulnerable. I take the danger seriously. We lost two of our dogs in a fire once. I've sworn a solemn oath that that would never happen again as long as I drew breath.
If a fire does hit us, I made myself an escape plan. If it came down to evacuating, I'd let the chickens loose, gather the dogs, my computer tower, and photo albums, and go upwind of any fire danger.
My house is mostly brick and glass, but the roof is still vulnerable. I take the danger seriously. We lost two of our dogs in a fire once. I've sworn a solemn oath that that would never happen again as long as I drew breath.
Have you ever thought about what you would grab if you only had five minutes to escape?
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Comments
Good question. I guess I'd take my hubby, my cats, a warm coat and my keys and mobile, but things like passport and driver's licence are very important items not to lose.
Having worked with the fire brigade junior life skills training I know that getting yourself out is more important than trying to save the material things even though obviously I wouldn't want to lose them.
I hope it never happens to any of us.
It's the question the hero asks the heroine in the film 'Leap Year'. It turns out to be a pivotal question... :O)
That is the one piece of technology I really love.
I've never seen that movie! I'll have to look it up.
I'm always reminded of something I saw on tv news once. This woman was searching through the rubble of her house after a tornado and all she could find was one picture of her family. The look on her face was haunting. It was all she had left.
That sucks about fire. I have a friend in NM who had to evacuate her home last week. For us, though, all we've had is rain. Too much rain, actually, and there's a lot of flooding
What would I bring? My main concern would be the kids and the critters. We bought a fire proof box years ago to stash our important papers, and I also put my backup thumb drives in it. I've copied my work as well as pictures onto them. I still might grab the computer, tho :P
Stay safe!
Maria like you it is so hot and dry here that we have been frantic for the past couple of months actually, last night and early this am we got one and a half inches and more is on the way this week so hopefully it will help us get some relief from the fear of fires for a bit...
Cathy: You're right. No one is immune. I'd grab the tower only if I had time. There's so much data on there and it would take months to recover--if at all.
Jackie: You're in the same boat I am. And yes, cats would be awful to round up. They just don't understand the concept of 'we have to leave NOW'.
Kay: You sound very organized! I should follow your example.
I'd grab our puppy, my laptop and backup plus my purse. If I had enough time I'd also grab my passport.
I'll cross my fingers that you get more rain, Maria. I'd happily send you some of ours. It's pouring down right now. Stay safe.
Shelley: California usually gets hit the hardest with wildfires. It's a little rare for us.
If we had to escape a fire, I would take my hubby and my dog (and if my stepdaughter is over then her as well). After my computer crashed and all my files were lost last year, I keep everything on the computer and on little cruzer deives, so I would take the drives with my writing, photos, and home videos with me.
If I could get my goldfish into a food container in a safe amount of time, I would do that. But if not, I would have to leave the fish behind. That would really suck but I know my fish would hide instead of letting me catch him.
My house is very small and it's all wood, so it would burn very fast.
First, I'd get my kids out and the dog, and then my laptop and purse. Anything else would depend on time left.
Lindsay: That reminds me of when Hurricane Rita was coming for the coast. One of the things my hubby saved was the oil portraits I did of the dogs.
Rula: I wonder how fireproof those fire safes are? I would hate to lose all my important papers.
Barbara: I nearly swallowed my tongue when you put your husband in as an afterthought. LOL! Good one!
Susan: You're never the same once you go through it. It really does change the way you look at things.
Anyway, hope you don't get any fires, and hope you get some more rain. Keeping my fingers crossed for you guys.
~Lia
I left in less than 5 mins once (long story involving an angry husband and a hammer). I couldn't think of what to take, so ended up with a carrier bag containing clean knickers, an A-Z and a tin of soup!!! When it's life or death, stuff suddenly seems less important. So, pets if I had any... and the laptop, of course!
Not so much fire risk here in Blighty but I have work backed up on memory sticks - I'd grab our two cats, precious photos ....and MrB.
Ellie Garratt
Brokenbiro: Oh, lordy. Do I sound like I live in a dangerous place? For all the fierce creatures and Ma Nature, it's really beautiful here. I guess nothing comes free. You have to take the good with the ouchy.
Margo: LOL. I'm know Mr. B will be glad to hear it.
Jennifer: Water has always scared me more than fire. And it's harder to escape a flood unless you know where the low areas are. I feel for you.
Ellie: The photos would be hardest of all to replace. They're a comfort especially during a time when you need that sense of place.