I had a moment years ago. The apartment building I was living in suddenly filled with smoke and the alarm was blaring.
Without thinking I grabbed my roommate's dog, my computer and hidden cash.
Essentials.
Nothing
Bored Gilligans Island GIF by TV Land ClassicGiphy"I truly had to think about this last night as the Colorado fires we just a few miles away. It was devastating looking around the house and realizing so much in your house doesn’t matter." ~ BatmanAndMe123
Clothes On
"My pants, imma need them when firefighters get there." ~ mr_abn_XD
"This is why I'm incapable of sleeping naked. My husband can't understand why, but I've tried to explain that I ain't gonna put my wrinkly, middle aged body on display for the FD. S**t, they don't deserve to see something so repulsive in exchange for saving our kids and cats lol." ~ TrailMomKat
robot mode...
"We had to evacuate last night and it was the craziest feeling. Luckily our house is okay. We both went into robot mode just efficiently getting what we need, popping the dogs in the hatchback, and off we went. We were in traffic on 287 when I realized that my wife and I forgot our winter coats, she was wearing slippers, and I’d left my wallet and every important document we have in my office. Glad I remembered the almond milk though." ~ greg-maddux
Snapshots
"Retired Firefighter here, when I was a kid our house burned down. As time went on, it was the family photos we missed the most. I always grabbed photo albums when I saw them. The owners often cried when they realized the photos were saved." ~ Syklst
"Firefighters doing amazing service to society They seem to be way underappreciated. When it comes to first responders everyone seems to think about cops but they seem to cause more trouble than they solve. firefighters and medics are truly there to help." ~ zwalker0912
Decisions...
classic animation choices GIF by ChallengerGiphy"I guess I'm supposed to say my children, but I've got a chocolate orange I've not started yet. So it'll be a tough one." ~ Good-Helicopter-9303
We all seem to be on the same page. Children are important I guess. But not before pets.
Secrets
Angry Eric Cartman GIF by South ParkGiphy"My book of passwords. Lmao, I’d be so f**ked without it." ~ jeff406
babies First...
"My pets. If they died in a burning house, I wouldn’t be able to live, genuinely." ~ SepticMonke
"So I periodically do tests with my dog. If I get up and start running to any of my doors, he sprints with me, every time. So I know if there’s ever an emergency, I won’t have to carry him, he’ll follow me instinctively. Huge load of worry off me." ~ intro_spec
Close Call
"I think my cat, I live in WA state and for some reason every summer where I live we just get f**ked with wild fires, (I live in a dry a** dessert area) so because it’s so dry the summer is brutal. I was at work one day when one of my co workers left crying, she asked me to tell our boss Nancy that she left it was an emergency."
"She could barely speak and was crying and obviously in a rush so I just said no worries and she took off. Come to find out there had been a wild fire raging nearby our town and her house was a mile away from it, doesn’t seem dangerous but these fires travel fast, and she had her dog in the back yard, it had a doggy door to get inside because it was hot but still, she was panicked about saving her dog."
"She really loved that dog, thankfully her house was never touched, the amazing fire fighters took control before any houses were damaged by the flames. SALUTE TO ALL YOU FIREFIGHTERS!!" ~ bongripsNkickflips
Gifts
"Assuming my husband is getting himself out of the apartment, then its the rollator (although its abandoned if I have to take the stairs) and then my stuffed animals as they were gifts from my husband and non-replaceable. Everything else can get replaced." ~ AsexualAccountant
Grab Bag
pack and go tv land GIF by #ImpastorGiphy"I have a bag of documents that are a pain in the butt to get. Birth certificate, taxes, diplomas. Thats an easy grab, once i have that, i grab my pets, and, if i have time, my box of mtg rares, including my unlimited dual lands, which I'll offload to offset the costs of recovery." ~ WanderingGenesis
Passwords! Genius. Everything is nothing with passwords. In the end... pack and run.