OT: Fire is coming. What do you grab?

[OhioLawyerF5]

Originally Posted by conor912

….and once they get there, hopefully that safe is water tight too, cuz that things taking a bath.

Agree. Don't overlook that when buying a safe. The watertight seals on mine supposedly expand under the heat of a fire to make a tighter seal. My safe is supposedly flood proof. Thankfully, I've never had to test it.

[1954 topps]

Pelican case inside a 2 hour safe is how I store my cards. Provides an extra layer of protection against water and humidity. For a house fire this is about all you should need. In the case of whole neighborhoods burning down, you probably have ample warning and can grab the pelican case along with any important documents.
A go bag is critical. Documents, all medications, basic hygiene supplies, couple pairs of clothes, shelf stable food like high calorie energy bars should get you by.
My wife, go bag, pelican case, and in some circumstances the 12-gauge is all I’m taking if in a rush to get to safety.

[LEHR]

Originally Posted by 1954 topps

Pelican case inside a 2 hour safe is how I store my cards. Provides an extra layer of protection against water and humidity. For a house fire this is about all you should need. In the case of whole neighborhoods burning down, you probably have ample warning and can grab the pelican case along with any important documents.
A go bag is critical. Documents, all medications, basic hygiene supplies, couple pairs of clothes, shelf stable food like high calorie energy bars should get you by.
My wife, go bag, pelican case, and in some circumstances the 12-gauge is all I’m taking if in a rush to get to safety.

You should watch some YouTube videos (there are many) of safes opened after they've been pulled out of fires. The internal temps get so hot in these safes that anything paper or plastic will most likely be ruined/melted if the fire is direct and lasts anytime at all. I think most home/gun safes are a great deterrent for theft, but I don't think the majority provide the fire protection they claim.

[packs]

I realize stuff is stuff but without my cards I'd have a hard time rebuilding any kind of life.

[gregndodgers]

I’ve been evacuated twice. The 2018 Woolsey fire and the current Eaton fire.. I may be wrong, but in most cases, you should have sufficient time to grab important stuff. However, when the fire begins quickly and you are very close to it, there may not be sufficient time.

I keep all my important stuff in one location, so in 2018, I was able to grab everything. My car was full of stuff! I grabbed legal documents, old family photos, and my vintage cards! Plus lots of clothes for the whole family.

It was surreal. I thought evacuations where people had to grab family photo albums only happened in the movies. Well, we know it does happen.

I also went through the 2004 hurricane Ivan.

[Exhibitman]

I actually had to make this decision the other day when we got an erroneous evac alert.

Pets, meds, phone, laptop, chargers, the box of vital records, guns and ammo. Oh, and the wife. Whatever other stuff not of immediate use is insured anyway, including my cards. Only an asshole gets killed over cards.

[raulus]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

I actually had to make this decision the other day when we got an erroneous evac alert.

Pets, meds, phone, laptop, chargers, the box of vital records, guns and ammo. Oh, and the wife. Whatever other stuff not of immediate use is insured anyway, including my cards. Only an asshole gets killed over cards.

Hopefully that means the fire didn’t blaze through your neighborhood.

Curious about the guns and ammo. Did you bring those for protection, or to avoid the fire setting them off and potentially striking first responders nearby?