What's Your "Ready" Look Like?

This was heartbreaking.

The more I read about it, the more concerned I became.

Understand this, first off. I am not disparaging the deceased. I also offer my deepest condolences to the surviving family, friends and loved ones of the deceased. They perished trying to protect firefighters. The couple did the very best they could do, but died in the effort. How much earlier did they need to start to survive the effort? We will never know.

However, I am reminded of my time in the military. We'd see accident reports, and our squadron commander or flight safety officer would always remind us of one thing. "These reports aren't to second-guess or insult the deceased. These reports are for the living - for those who remain to consider how they go about their business". As sad as it is, it should make us all think "what would I do in a similar situation?"

The Black Forest fire was only a few miles from my apartment. It was much closer than last year's Waldo Canyon fire. During the numerous updates, I tried to keep a brave face, a calm demeanor. But, I had to consider "what if the mandatory evac area includes my neighborhood?" Could I gather my necessities fast enough to get away before the flames got too close?

What about you who read this? Whether you live in an efficiency or a 10,000 square foot palace, one question remains. How long does it take for you to gather your necessities and get out?

Last Saturday, as the news readers reported upgrades in the amount of fire contained, the folks also said that  a select few people were allowed to return to their homes to get "essential medications". I found myself then asking, "when they left home days before, why didn't they take their essential meds the first time? Why are they verbally climbing all over the sheriffs for stuff maybe they should have already gathered before leaving the first time?"

Then I had to wonder: what if their meds were in several places in their particular homes? Maybe they couldn't get all the meds because they had to actually take time to remember where some meds were stored?

So I stood in the middle of my apartment. It's only 1000 square feet total, so I could see most of it from one vantage point. I asked myself if I was to evac, what would I take? What could I leave behind and replace at another time?

Admittedly, I have some items in a separate storage location. Wedding pictures from my first marriage, memorabilia from the kids' baby years, and scrapbook items are all off-site. With that, I don't have a lot here that can't be replaced with time or a few phone calls.

How about you? Take this challenge: start the stopwatch and give yourself 30 minutes. Or, only 15 minutes. How much stuff could you gather in the time you allot and still get out? Where are the important papers, the life-aiding meds, that one heirloom your great-grandfather got from Teddy Roosevelt? Are all the irreplaceable items in separate corners, or buried under less-important stuff?

That leads to a different question. How much stuff do I need? If I had to evac, and I decided a certain item could be left behind, do I really need it when things are calm? What if I don't need a particular thing? Is it just clutter at that time?

And, as I digress further, when fire victims rebuild, how many of the lost items need to be replaced? Maybe a simpler live is easier to manage in the future. Maybe I don't need that extra table or chair.

And, what about this - my son lives with me while he works his way through college. What if he and/or I are away from home when the evac order is issued? Do we have an easy-to-remember way to coordinate during a stressful situation? It's more than just having cell phones. Local cell phone systems were overloaded during the most critical times of the fire's expansion.

As I stated earlier, this situation is heartbreaking. With our ongoing local drought conditions (3 or 4 years, depending on who counts), we are ripe for another local fire. What if we get another wildfire before summer ends? Will I have time to escape the next one? How fast can I "bug out" if I need to? What does my "ready" look like?

What does your "ready" look like?