What if the fire department knocked on your door & said, "Fire Department.  You have 10 minutes to grab your belongings & you must evacuate!" 
What would you do?

I am sure this question got your mind thinking.  Was your mind racing in a bunch of different directions...flashes of so many different things you would need to do?
I hope you are never faced with a situation like this, but, WHAT IF?
What would you bring? Your ID, Medical Records, Medicine, Jewelry, Collections, Emergency Kit, Clothes, Art, Vet Records, etc. etc. Where would you even begin to find it?  How would you gather up all of this plus the kids & animals at the same time? 

I live in California where we are known to have wild fires. September 2006 we had a fire which over the course of a month burned over 200,000 acres of precious land. In October 2006 we had yet another fire in which homes were burned to the ground and 5 firefighters lost their lives!

Bottom Line: PLAN NOW!  JUST GET PREPARED!  Hopefully you will never need to put your plan to use...but, it is a fact that preparation is necessary. 
"Something is going to happen.  We don't know what or where or when...but, we need to be prepared!"  That is the concept behind my EmergencyPrepared website which I am working on to provide you with Emergency Survival Products / Services / Information, available soon.  Comments & Suggestions are welcomed & appreciated.

Some things to think about & do.  Together, we can save lives.

• Keep your medical records handy & extra medicines if necessary as you may not have access to prescriptions / medicines unless you have your own.
• Keep your insurance records handy.  It would be good to make a videotape of your homes belongings...if not, make a list.  Should something happen, you will have it to present to your insurance company.  Maybe you should keep a copy of this in a vault.
• Know where your family photo boxes / albums are & try to keep them in one place.  Even make a smaller book or box to keep in a different place.  (To me, photos are the most important. Also, back up your computer photos so you do not lose them all like me!)  You might also want to take your photos out of those old albums which are turning your old photos yellow & faded.  I love photo boxes with the dividers.  I just write on the divider what is in that section.  Considering scanning your photos & then copying them to a cd, etc...this takes up no space, just your time.
  
• Know who your family is to contact & their # should you be separated.  This should be a family member of friend from another state.  Keep an ID card with this information & any important medical information in your wallet should you not be at home. A printable version will be available on my EmergencyPrepared site soon. 
  
• Keep your emergency kit in a place where you will know where to grab it & go. The basic kits have enough food, water, & supplies for 1 person to survive on his/her own for 3 days.  You can always add the extra foods & other stuff to another backpack.  I have one in my home, office & car. Kids should have them in their school rooms. I have some kits in my ebay store: PaCRatzCollectiblez.  If you do not want to buy one...make one, now.  The ingredients are listed...just do it.  The kits I offer make great gifts or they are great to just order for your home, office, kid's school, or car.  10 years after the Northridge Earthquake...I bought my 1st Kits even though it was on my to do list!
  
• Keep animal carriers in a handy place. Not just the fold up cardboard ones, but the metal crates too in case they need a place to sleep.  Get them their collars with i.d. tags asap & if you have a cat...keep extra litter with you & a harness / leash. For all pets, a pet emergency kit including extra food, water & treats.  Shelters, if available, will want your pet's medical records.  If no shelters are available, you can always keep them crated up. 
  
• Keep a copy of your important information as part of YOUR PLAN & keep a copy of YOUR PLAN handy, all members of your family (or office) should have one as well as the baby sitter should have an extra copy! 
  
• Please consider taking a First Aid / CPR / Defibrillator course from you local American Red Cross or American Heart Association!  If there was a real emergency...I was told by a fireman..."Within 10 minutes our resources will be depleted & you will be on your own.  That is why you are encouraged to become self sufficient for 3 days...but, I recommend a week."  I am certified to teach these classes.  If you need a recommendation in your area...please email me! But, make sure they are approved by the American Heart Association or American Red Cross.
  
• Give your kids the job of getting their own stuff together.  If it is something you have discussed, this will save you time to get your own stuff together.
• Review YOUR PLAN with your kids & practice.  It is true...it is scarry stuff...but, preparedness will save you lots of extra stress & anxiety as well as potentially saving lives!  Let them be a part of it.  It will give them confidence to handle the situation should an emergency arise.  
• 10 minutes is all you have for this practice drill...Maybe you can run around & put sticky notes on the important stuff & then group them together or just know where they are so they will be easy to grab should the need arise.
  

OK...There is so much more I can write, but for now I hope this is a good place to get you thinking & started.  I am working on a website EmergencyPrepared which will have more of this kind of information available soon.
Thank You for taking the time to read this.  Please share this information with your friends & family & GET PREPARED!  My hopes are that you never need it!
Peace, PaCRat!  =^.".^=
(07/17/06)
P.S.  Would you please vote yes if you find this information to be helpful? Thank You!  I will be going through CERT Training soon (Communtiy Emergency Response Team) & will be writing new articles with different kinds of emergency preparedness information...because i care!