If your home burns, what would you grab quickly to salvage??

[green papaya]

Wallet, keys, phone, eye glasses, some extra clothes, firearms, important documents, throw them in my car and drive to a safe area.

if no time just my wallet & car keys

same thing I did last year during a mandatory evacuation.

 

[scottyrocks]

You'd better have it all packed and ready to go. A 'mandatory evacuation' is not the same as a fire.

 

[GHT]

Growing up in the late 40's early 50's, I clearly remember the great smog of 1952. An estimated 4000 Londoners died from chest related diseases as a result. That produced a law called The Clean Air act. The only smog after that was in 1990 and that was caused by vehicle exhaust fumes.

The dramatic drop in open fires in homes as they went over to central heating, correlated with a similar dramatic drop in house fires. Likewise, since the link between cancer and smoking has been proven the drop in the number of people smoking has gone from just under 80% to well under 20%. Again the correlation of the number of house fires caused by smoking has gone down by a similar percentage.

Today, in the UK, the biggest cause of house fires comes from the nation's cooking stoves. So, keep a fire blanket close to hand ready to smother any fire that starts and you won't have to endure the suffering that is caused by a fire. Most people know that we refer to fries as chips, and the pan that we cook them in is called a chip pan. It's when the oil in the chip pan is too high and too hot that the risk of fire increases. But the real danger is ignorance, despite continued education and warnings, many people still don't realise that the worst thing you can do with hot oil that's caught fire is to throw water over it. Thankfully house fires are very few and far between these days.

 

[2jakes]

"Never leave the kitchen when using
the stove."

This is a rule that I follow without exceptions.
Also when I'm done, first thing I do is say,
"the stove is off",
even when no one is around.

Otherwise I will forget to turn off the flame,
burn the oil, pan and cause a fire.


I have a habit of having too many things on
my mind and the older I get the more I tend
to forget.

 

[green papaya]

when I see people living in high rise apartments , I wonder how they would escape during a fire? it seems people living on the lower levels are safer, much easier to get out quickly, no stairwells filled with smoke or other obstacles trying to get down.

elevators could malfunction and get stuck

 

[scottyrocks]

It's general practice is not to use the elevators in a building emergency, so the stairs, often referred to as 'emergency' or 'fire' exits, are the way out. Most doors to the stairways of most of the buildings I have been in are large, heavy, and tight fitting, presumably to keep fire, heat, and smoke out as much as possible (they do need to be opened, though, to be used).

 

[Edward]

when I see people living in high rise apartments , I wonder how they would escape during a fire? it seems people living on the lower levels are safer, much easier to get out quickly, no stairwells filled with smoke or other obstacles trying to get down.

elevators could malfunction and get stuck

They certainly can be a problem; in recent weeks here in London, we've seen a dreadful tragedy where flammable cladding on a tower block in Kensington caused (to date) 79 recorded deaths - with more to come. The block burned so quickly and badly that they now have a team who worked on Ground Zero after 9/11 assisting with those searching for remains of hundreds more still officially 'missing', but who are believed to have died as the fire took hold.

 

[MisterCairo]

My wife is known to leave a burner on (we have a gas stove), particularly when set to "low" as the flame is barely visible. I will walk by, feel heat that should not be there, then notice it.

Thankfully we are equipped with hard-wired smoke and CO2 detectors.

Still...

 

[totallyfrozen]

Having experienced two fires (one in our carriage house, not in the main house, the other, decades ago in a factory building in which I rented space), I know just how swiftly fire takes hold. I ran in when the flames were just beginning, and salvaged a couple of albums of phonograph records which were near the door. In seconds the flames were too hot and too widely spread to allow any further efforts at salvage.

No, I would make certain that everyone, and hopefully, every pet, was out of the house, let the firemen do their jobs, and start over again.

I hope to heaven that I never again have this experience!

My compassion goes out to you. That's a hell of a thing to have to endure TWO fires! Thank God you still have your life.
I hope it never happens again to you as long as you live.


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[totallyfrozen]

Wallet, keys, phone, eye glasses, some extra clothes, firearms, important documents, throw them in my car and drive to a safe area.

if no time just my wallet & car keys

same thing I did last year during a mandatory evacuation.

I keep my wallet, a Swiss Army knife that I daily carry, sunglasses, and the like in a drawer by the front door. ASSUMING the front door is available for exit, and not engulfed in flames, I would try to make my exit that way. Honestly, I would not stand there loading my pockets. I'd either grab it all in one hand or--more likely--toss it all out into the driveway and pick it up out there. My daughter's room has a means of exit so I could let her out that way if necessary.

I think it's important to pack a fire escape bag ahead of time, and plan ahead. Something very important to keep in mind is that ANY door or window you open allows air to rush in and feed the fire--which will cause it to grow even faster than before. That will quickly and drastically limit your exit time and your routes of egress!
So to limit fire spread, it's important to plan ahead which routes you'll use to exit from you residence. Remember to assume that your favorite exit might be blocked by fire or debris. You should plan no less that TWO exits from your home, but the more the merrier.
IF possible (it may not be, but if it is) try NOT to break any windows or doors. You cannot control or restrict airflow through a broken window. Breaking a window out is like turning a gasoline hose on and spraying into the fire. A broken window will provide a never ending supply of oxygen to the fire. So IF YOU CAN (rescue and escape come first), try to leave doors and windows intact--and close doors behind you. Don't worry. Firefighters are trained in how to open doors (even locked doors) in a fire. Shut the doors and let the firefighters open them.


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[Fanny]

I have an emergency bag with spare clothes, a blanket, water, medical supplies, etc in it that I would grab, along with my photo albums since they are the only pictures of my mother that I have and they are irreplaceable.

 

[2jakes]

From my experience working in the news, I know that there is very little
time if you are inside a burning house.
The smoke will prevent you from breathing and cause you to loose your
vision.
Fire dept. suggests to stay low to the ground and exit as fast as possible.

I have a fire box where I keep valuable
material.
I have clothes in my car. My wallet & keys are nearby and that is what I
would grab before exiting.

 

[HadleyH1]

My family and past photos....paper photos .....old photos .....

after that.....I don't know my handbag with my wallet and cards.....

my cat....

 

[2jakes]

My family and past photos....paper photos .....old photos .....

after that.....I don't know my handbag with my wallet and cards.....

my cat....

Cat first!
You can always put photos & valuable papers in a fire box.
They will be safe...I know for a fact!

 

[HadleyH1]

Cat first!
You can always put photos & valuable papers in a fire box.
They will be safe...I know for a fact!

Cat first.

Agree.

 

[HadleyH1]

Correction Hadley...you’re right!
Family...then cat!

Sorry Polo!

That goes without saying ...doesn't it ...babies ,,,,children etc etc etc......pets

 

[2jakes]

That goes without saying ...doesn't it ...babies ,,,,children etc etc etc......pets

Yes of course...I wrote too fast.
I failed to see that you had written family first.

 

[HadleyH1]

Yes of course...I wrote too fast.
I failed to see that you had written family first.
I was correcting myself not you.

*yawn*

 

[Fading Fast]

Heck, I thought "Family" was modifying photos. Given some of my family growing up (don't live with them), I might have grabbed the cat first.

 

[2jakes]

Heck, I thought "Family" was modifying photos. Given some of my family growing up (don't live with them), I might have grabbed the cat first.

Polo loves the way you think! ​