Security Whip

I was reading the paper this morning and California is again getting hit with devastating forest fires.  As someone who likes to be prepared, it got me thinking.  What would I do in the same situation? If I had to evacuate my home in 10 minutes or less, what would I take?  And, could I grab everything I wanted in such a short time?  To get a better feel for this type of situation, here is snippet from the USA Today article.

Lane Butchko, a retired resident without a car, recounted desperately fleeing a half-mile down a mountain road before a motorist picked him up.

“I grabbed my dog and we ran for our lives. I forgot my teeth,” he said. “We were going at a full gallop and halfway down I fell, tripped on the dog’s leash. When I got up, I felt the heat of the fire on my back and I saw a tree burst into flames.”

Its quite obvious that Mr. Butchko had less than 10 mins to prepare, he only had time to grab the dog.  So, would you be able to walk away from your home confidently in 10 mins?  I’ve provided a few examples of ways to better prepare.  As always, the lists are never exhaustive, they are designed to get you thinking.

• Do you have an evacuation plan? Go over it with your family and practice.

• Is your emergency kit ready and located where you need it?

• What is your communication plan? Do the kids know who to call? Do you have an out of state contact?

• Do you have a “meet up” location?  You should actually have two meet up places incase the first is inaccessible.

• Do you have your important documents in a central location?

• Are all of your personal affairs in order?  Home insurance, will, etc.

• Is your vehicle prepared and does it have any emergency equipment?

The whole point is to have some type of plan so you aren’t completely caught off guard if something bad does happen.  If you aren’t sure where to begin or how to start an emergency plan, go check out Ready.gov.  They have both online forms and down loadable forms which will help in designing your plan.

Thanks

Security Guy

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