Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn’t the point of the fireproof box that you don’t have to grab it?

I'm glad someone else is wondering this. We have a fireproof safe and I've always assumed its purpose was to protect our documents in the event of a fire. It is bolted down so I can't take it with me. Do I need a portable firebox?

They usually have an hour or two rating. Enough time for a typical response from a fire department. The wildfire was hot enough and prolonged enough to melt aluminum wheels. No fireproof safe is going to survive that.

Anonymous wrote:I can pack a whole bag for me and the kids in five minutes. Clothes, medicine, toiletries, books for all of us, chargers, ear buds, water bottles, snacks, my suitcase safe with cash, passports, birth certificates, recent vaccine records for the dogs. Then I would grab the kids and dogs and go, with probably two and a half minutes to spare.

My husband would still be sitting on the toilet, then puttering around his office, probably printing his email.

He has life insurance and survivor benefits. We’ll be fine.

That sounds more like 15-20 min.

I’d grab my passport and cash that sits in a drawer in my bedroom, my phone, my kid.

Anonymous wrote:

I know everyone says they’d grab pictures. I’d grab pictures, memory cards, important documents, bins with keepsakes, important meds, as many clothes as I could, and honestly, that’s probably it.

That’s a really big list and it would take a lot more than 5 minutes. As many clothes as you could??? You can buy more clothes.

If you only have five minutes, your life is in imminent danger and you need to just go. How would you actually know you can spare those extra minutes? I would grab my kids and leave without taking anything that isn’t needed for our immediate safety (e.g. phone to call for help and navigate smoky streets, shoes to flee on foot if necessary). Documents can be replaced, even birth certificates and passports. Old family photos would be no comfort if my kids were injured or dead.

My mom lived in LA and had to be evacuated twice in the past few years. I was shocked when I found out she didn't have a go bag, so I helped her make one. In it was several changes of underwear and clothes; week of medication; toiletries (including eye drops, face masks and other things that might help in smoke); cash; her passport. We also stocked gallons of water around the house.

If she had time to pack more, there would have been pictures, jewelry and some more papers, but the go bag is for the "run, go, now'

I am trying to think about this now. We have some important things in a safe. I think its fireproof but honestly not sure. I do have passports and social security cards and birth certificates in one big folder. Most pictures are on the cloud. I would probably take medication, documents, change of clothes, some water bottles, masks, medications, cash, portable chargers.

Anonymous wrote:Isn’t the point of the fireproof box that you don’t have to grab it?

I'm glad someone else is wondering this. We have a fireproof safe and I've always assumed its purpose was to protect our documents in the event of a fire. It is bolted down so I can't take it with me. Do I need a portable firebox?

Anonymous wrote:Isn’t the point of the fireproof box that you don’t have to grab it?

They’re fireproof up to a certain point. They might not survive that kind of fire…yes, you can replace a passport, but the easiest way to do that is to provide your old one, otherwise you need original birth certificates, SSN cards etc. It’s a pain.

Photos that are not scanned. I have a folder of them that I'd grab.
Passports, birth certificates, also in a folder.
My digitized photos and backups to my computers.
My laptop, phone, and my purse, with credit cards, keys, a good pair of shoes and a warm coat. As much water as I could carry. Snacks.
Oh, and my dogs and my DH.

Photo albums, my safe that holds all personal items (e.g., birth certificates, SS cards, passports, etc.), my purse, my kids' baby books, and my deceased dad's dog tags.

I have a fire box filled with the important items (documents and jewelry) that’s easily accessible. Our work bags are also right in the living room and have things like phones, chargers, and computers. If I had a bit more time/ability to carry things, I’d also grab some photo albums of pics that are not stored in the cloud and a few other sentimental things.

Isn’t the point of the fireproof box that you don’t have to grab it?

+1

Anonymous wrote:Can someone please explain why (assuming you are not in the process of immigration like a PP) you would need to grab your passport? In a situation like the wildfire, you’re not leaving the country. You have your drivers license as ID and passports can be replaced. It’s an administrative pain but not a life or death irreplaceable item.

In my case, the fireproof box has passports, SSN cards, birth certificates, marriage certificate, titles to cars, deed, will, and some cash. If I grab that box, I can re-establish our lives pretty easily. It's probably easier for me to grab that box than to find my wallet in an emergency.

In just five minutes? The humans and the pets.

This fire reminds me I need to photograph our furniture and other belongings for insurance purposes
.

Family, pets, diaries, photos, passports.

Medicines, passports,wallets, devices, coats and gloves, cash. If i lived in a place like that there would be a go bag with that same as on a dive boat lob. .