In case of fire after the family, what is next to come out.

[Martindelmundo]

Hey gents. I was forced in to think about this question after it happened Thursday morning. I have a dead line on a massive project due. we're designing an apartment building and my company was gracious enough to install Cad on my laptop. Worked most of the night on wednesday untill the wee hours on thursday. I live in an apartment building myself that has 18 units of an eight story building. after sleeping less than two hours my wife wakes me up and says the fire alarm is going off. So got the kids and my oldest's stuffed airplane and down a smoked filled set of stairs to find all of the apartment residents standing in P.J's watching smoke roll out of the garage. thought of my laptop with all my work and about losing the project, and in hind sight not the smartest thing to do but ran back up to the second floor got my laptop and got out. My wife got mad because in all the commotion she didn't hear me say i was going back. After geting back out side I yelled S*#t my humidors!!! The smoke was to thick and I didn't go back and started to regret not leaving the laptop and getting my cigars.

Question to all of you. How important are your cigars in time of crisis??

Side note: Only one injury from smoke inhalation and she is fine now. Only smoke damage and the entire circut board melted to hell for the building.

[NitrousPurger]

good to hear no serious injuries! I hope I never have to scream the words "**** MY HUMIDORS!!!" LOL

[Mr. Japan]

I have my humidors insured against fire LOL

[El Presidente]

Glad to here it wasn't more serious!

I don't think I would lose too much sleep over cigars faced with an emergency.

[cigcars]

*That thought has occurred to me numerous times. And if in an emergency like that (AFTER loved ones are accounted for) I'd need to make sure more that I have my car keys, my eye-glasses, my wallet, and prayerfully, warm shoes in my escape. The cigars (much as they're my passion) would just have to be painstakingly replaced.

[coneatty]

Damn....Glad everyone's okay.

[Colt45]

If I were to grab any "stuff", I don't think cigars would make the list. Have you considered keeping a backup of critical files in a fire resistant box?

[cigcars]

*Yeah - and not to mention that if one were to be seen shivering in the snow & dearly holding onto precious boxes in one's quivering arms - you WILL attract a lot of curiousity about "What's in the boxes?" and having to go, "None of your business" or tell some lie nobody will believe about what's inside if your hobby is kept private (like yours truly) as helpful (and nosy) neighbors try to help you. The possible blow-back, exposure, and then the eventual loss of them anyway to who knows how many different elements/circumstances, is not worth the trouble, or of being "put on the spot"

[LeafLover]

Grabbing the computer that stores all the family/kids pictures, as well as all the photos, and my file of important docs i.e. SS cards, passports, etc.

But, I definitely will shed a tear for my cigars, that's for sure.

[cubanmule7]

Glad to hear your all safe. When it comes to something like that, make sure your family is safe first...your THINGS are just posessions and are not important. Like John Lennon said in one of the greatest songs of all time "And no posessions too"

[groza]

I guess I could take my stash with me (less than 10 boxes atm). That's another advantage of coolers - they have carry handles!

[Martindelmundo]

The only reason I I went back for the laptop because I was working on it all night and went to sleep a 5 a.m. thinking about work. Insurance doesn't want to cover cigars. Thank hevean all my family photos are on the computer. Passports in a safe deposit box. The weather here in Quito is about 65- 70 all year round.

And the funny thing about all of it after the fact that one was hurt and now we're having serious power surges. When the fire department showed up one of the firemen ran up to my wife and said "excuse me mam, Where is the fire". With everyone standing outside and smoke billowing from our garage.

[scinmyheart]

my cigars are important to me in the sense that it's a good chunk of money sitting there while the standard risk of getting them

...but not important enough to lose my life over...maybe I need to put a hand truck next to the humidor and then I'll be prepared to move them out while exiting the house

hope you get everything back together soon and be glad everyone is okay

[Dbone]

Aside from seeing my family to safety everything else can go.

[jay8354]

My priority will have to be:

- Family safe and sound

- Hard Drive of all photos of the family

- Wedding album if I have the time (so that I don't need to hear about it from ythe wife)

- Family pet rabbit (optional - though then I have explain why it is in my mouth instead to my 4 yr old)

Now let me tell you about my wife's priority:

During the first year of marriage, my wife at the time was in between jobs. So she was home most of the time.

At the time, we lived in an apartment building.

Apparently, she woke up late that day, and since Mother-in-law birthday was coming up, decide to discuss with her sibling on MS communicator on how to celebrate it.

During the conversation, her sisters said that my wife mentioned she can smell smoke. Wifey went to investigate and opened the front door, sees smoke, goes back to the laptop and says she thinks there is a fire in the building and that her siblings to contact me and let me know.

It seems to be that one of the neighbours on our level have left the heater on and that has set some clothing on fire. His roommates noticed it, could not get in his room (locked), locked up their apartment, called the fire department but did not let anyone in the building know.

Back to my wife, she went on to shutdown the laptop and got dressed (yes that right). By that time, the smoke was too thick to go out the front door. So, she thought might as well wait on the balcony and have a fireman get her down.

As luck will have it, the fire brigate got there real quick and the fire put out fairly fast. They weren't impressed with the idiots for locking the door (slows them down) and the lack of notifying people.

[dicko]

Back to my wife, she went on to shutdown the laptop and got dressed (yes that right). By that time, the smoke was too thick to go out the front door. So, she thought might as well wait on the balcony and have a fireman get her down.

Family pet rabbit (optional - though then I have explain why it is in my mouth instead to my 4 yr old) too funny

omg! glad she was ok.

I can believe this though, I've had girlfriends do things like walk out in front of cars without looking, walk around alone at night in dodgy suburbs etc. They are from mars no doubt.

To address the OP, fistly glad everyones fine, secondly, I would grab a box I have of personal letters etc, my U 17's football premiership medallion lol and photo albums.

Cigars likely too!!

There was a bushfire about 5 Km's from my house just yesterday i hope it never happens, my old weatherboard house would be perfect tinder!

[CanuckSARTech]

If I were to grab any "stuff", I don't think cigars would make the list. Have you considered keeping a backup of critical files in a fire resistant box?

Grabbing the computer that stores all the family/kids pictures, as well as all the photos, and my file of important docs i.e. SS cards, passports, etc.

But, I definitely will shed a tear for my cigars, that's for sure.

Great thoughts from both.

With the Search & Rescue thing, my unit also does a lot of joint training with other emergency services, as well as various group presentations and talks/displays. One of the things that's been heavily mandated to be brought to the forefront recently is 72-Hour Kits and other like items. This is since post-9/11, and post-Hurricane Katrina and the 2002 blackout, that people need to be prepared to self-sustain for a number of hours/days in the event of something catastrophic.

We do a lot of this prep work for individuals and corporations, to help them get ready, "just in case". Granted, there's a TON of this stuff out there that's very hyped and maybe even fearmongering, but an ounce of prevention....

Both of the above mentionings (critical file backup, photos/document/ID card duplication, etc.) are excellent ideas. One of the best tidbits of info that I give to people is a combination of this. Basically, here's the best prepwork you can do: Take all of your important documentation, scan it into PDF or photo form, and save it to a removable hard drive. Put this in a fire-proof and water-tight little fire safe. Then, do one of two things - either mount it to the bottom of a plastic lid for your sump-pump hole in your house (which 95% of North American homes have), or give it to a family member to keep at their house. For the scans, make sure you get everything - wills, critical family documents, ID cards, bonds and banking info, passports, etc., and add in any keepsake family items too (photos, home movies, etc.) Be sure to scan every card's front and back, to be a "true representation thereof", and legal and usable then. Securing the drive in a firesafe under the sump-pump lid works to keep it in a safe location: the sump-pump hole is basically bomb-proof due to its construction and location in a house; and also, if there's a fire, the plastic lid would melt, dropping the safe into the water at the bottom of the sump hole, making it better protected from the heat, and yet still somewhat easily retrieveable after a fire, due to it's pinpoint location placement. Also, another obvious spot is giving it to a close family member for safe-keeping, as one would presume that something catastrophic wouldn't happen to both locations hopefully. Be sure to update this backup drive as you get new cards or IDs, or with any regular updates as needed (changed banking passwords, personal safe codes, etc.)

If anyone really wishes to do some homework on the subject, and better prepare your house/family, just PM me and I can get you set up with a bunch of training material and documents that contain some really great hints and checklists.