There is a fire in the area and the firetrucks are in the streets with firefighters yelling into bullhorns telling everyone in the neighborhood they have five minutes to evacuate.Being prepared when that bullhorn sounds off is crucial.If people live in an area susceptible to fires (like Colorado in general), knowing exactly where the important items are located in the house is essential. Having a box pre-packed with some items can make a quick get-a-way a bit less daunting.The Red Cross provides instructions on what to have available when five minutes means ìfive minutes.îThe following are items that need to be immediately available.
- First-aid kit, glasses, prescription medication, eyeglasses and hearing aids
- A change of clothes, a sleeping bag and a blanket for each member of the household
- Water
- Flashlight, cell phone, radio or tablets
- Car and house keys
- Cash and personal identification
- Have a lot of your important stuff ìgroupedî ó for instance, I have ALL of our mortgage papers, IDs, bank info, etc., stored in one of those large file folders ñ- itís in a safe spot, so all I have to do is grab ONE thing and I know I have ALL of our important paperwork gathered. This alone will save you five minutes.
- We store all of our dog supplies in one area, and we have a little bag with an extra leash, bone (to keep her occupied), and water bowl. All of this is stored next to a Ziplock bag of extra food. The pet is officially taken care of in 10 seconds or less.
- We had the conversation on what are the ìirreplaceableî family items that we knew weíd be devastated if we lost. While not all of those can be in the same spot, having the items identified ahead of time will easily save you some time, if you have time.
- Everything else is in our ìgo kitî ó extra food, emergency blankets, first-aid kit, flashlight etc. ñ- itís all in one of those plastic storage bins ready to go when we itís necessary.
