The Bag – Escape Ready Essentials
A few years ago, a real disaster struck. My neighbor’s house caught fire. It was Sunday morning. We stayed up late having one of our epic movie nights. He chose the video. I popped the popcorn and put the root beer into frosty mugs.
We didn’t go to bed until after midnight. Early that morning, there was a loud knock at the front door. I rubbed my eyes to focus. I opened the door to find a man in full fire gear looking back at me.
He asked if I had a back way out of the house. I confirmed that there was a side door. He advised that I exit that way. I hadn’t realized it at first. My neighbor’s house was engulfed in flames.
I didn’t hear it. I didn’t smell the smoke. I didn’t even hear the fire engines arrive.
The fire had jumped onto the tree in my yard, and we needed to be evacuated. I yanked my son’s arm several times, trying to wake him. We fled out of the house to another neighbor’s home.
Rushing outside, I could see the flames rolling above the top of her house. They had to be eight feet high in the air. My eyes widened and fear flushed through me like water. I can’t describe the specific feeling.
I had never seen anything like that in person. I don’t ever want to see it again. I called my parents to pick us up from my neighbor’s house because the fire trucks blocked any access to the street. They arrived in about half an hour.
In my panic to grab my son and my keys, I dropped my glasses. I frantically scampered around the house trying to grab things that we needed. Shoes and no socks, jackets instead of coats, it was very chaotic.
The snow on the ground was unforgiving to low-top gym shoes. I was still in my nightgown. My son needed a change of clothes since we had not yet visited the bathroom.
The time we had to escape was generous. It could have been very different. The flames could have jumped onto my house before the fire department arrived. I had no idea it was even happening.
How much worse could that have been if my house had become engulfed as well? It took some years before the sound of fire engines no longer caused me to shudder. My son could have been harmed, but by the grace of God, no one was.
Once I was able to return home, I decided to keep an emergency bag in the hall closet. The closet was in the middle of the house and accessible from my son’s room. I took an old gym bag from storage and filled it with things that we would need to gather.
It was best to put the bag near my son’s room. No matter what occurs, his room is the first place I’m going. It’s better to put it in a place that you know you will run to in any situation.
It’s a great idea for everyone to take some time to do this. Being able to grab one bag would have shaved minutes off our escape. I would have had the things that he needed. I would not have to scramble for whatever was in reach.
Perhaps my glasses would not have lain on the floor, covered in scratches. At least I wouldn’t have to grab keys from this room and my purse from another. Shoes from the closet, spare clothes from the laundry that had yet to be folded, and a few other essentials are too many separate items to grab in a hurry.
Thankfully, his favorite toy was in his hand. It may have been a problem if he had rushed back inside to get it, or worse. He could have had a meltdown that I was powerless to overcome.
The only dilemma is to put enough in the bag without overloading it. Remember you’re not packing for a trip. Start with the basics. In any emergency where you would need to leave your home or the main living space, some things will come in handy temporarily.
Essentials for Your Emergency Bag:
- Change of Clothes (Weather Appropriate)
- Socks, Underwear, or diapers/pull-ups
- Jacket or Sweater
- Pack of Wipes
- Favorite Toy or Flippy
- Sealed Snacks or Reinforcers
- Spare Glasses, if possible
- Cash
- Medications, supplements, or a labeled bag for quick retrieval
- Basic First Aid Item
- Flashlight
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