If you could save one thing from a house fire (animals and family are safe) what would you save and what does that say about you?

It is best for people to maintain a "important papers" box and/or firesafe. Important papers & copies thereof (birth certificates, contents of your wallet, ids, passports, deeds, insurance certificates, automotive pink slips, wills, etc. Etc.Etc.) should be kept in a box and/or firesafe that is easy to grab in the case of a fire or other emergency. Other things to grab are another box (or the same box)/media fire safe with film negatives, photographs, and copies of other personal media in it.

CD/DVD copies of digital photographs, videos and other personal electronic information. Another thing that is handy to have in an emergency is a "bug out bag," in a small backpack or something like, that that has a few changes of clothes, some personal care items, copies of your ID/etc. , keys, and other useful items in it that may be helpful if you need to flee your house. I assume a lot of people would grab their laptops or other portable electronic devices if possible.

Some of this stuff could also be backed up off-site, or stored in a safe deposit box, etc. Making it less necessary to grab some of this stuff. I'm sure a lot of people might in hindsight be sorry they lost some items of sentimental value, or of high economic value, but often time it's the above important stuff that is difficult or impossible to replace, or may be needed and/or very helpful in putting one's life back together after a devastating disaster or fire.

Well since family/pets are safe and you say I COULD save one thing... I'd grab my dad's favorite shirt and hat from the top rack of my closet on my way out the door. What does that say about me? That I'm not over my dad's death, if I'd take his shirt and hat with me over important papers or my laptop with important information on it.

Frankly. If you value your life, get the heck out of there. Do not stop to collect your wallet, your documents, your hard drive, or your cherished family photo.

If the fire is dangerous enough for you to leave, it is dangerous enough for you to not waste a second in getting out. US Fire Adminstration / FEMA: "When a fire occurs, do not waste any time saving property. Take the safest exit route, but if you must escape through smoke, remember to crawl low, under the smoke and keep your mouth covered.

The smoke contains toxic gases which can disorient you or, at worst, overcome you. " usfa.dhs.gov/citizens/all_citizens/home_... usfa.dhs.gov/downloads/pdf/fswy9.pdf "In the event of a fire, remember - time is the biggest enemy and every second counts! In less than 30 seconds a small flame can get completely out of control and turn into a major fire."

firesafety.gov/citizens/escape/index.shtm I once had some responsibility for fire safety at my workplace, and the above info is exactly what the fire department told us. And they showed us film of how fires spread to prove it. Now if what you really wanted to know is what our most cherished possesions are... My iPhone would most likely be in my pocket already.It's valuable for all the contact details in it, and my schedule, both synced from Outlook.

As a bonus, it has a great selection of my favorite family photos as well.

Probably my laptop and here's why: It has all of our wedding and family photos, my entire cd collection, our money info, all of our insurance stuff as well as all of our contact info for our families. Man, come to think of it, I should probably back all of that information up... Also, please don't steal my laptop! (sorry, A.D.D.Moment) What that (hopefully) says about me is that I think ahead by keeping important things in one place - however, it also might make me foolish if something should happen to the computer!

Still, at least if there was a fire, I would be able to keep precious memories and be able to take care of the problems we'd most likely encounter.

My macbook pro. Guess its the most expensive compact item I could carry. It has copies of all my photos and documents.

We had a cousin die in a fire trying to gather things, so we have a couple fire proof boxes for things that shouldn't or can't be store near the closest door. Providing we don't have to go out a window..... We do have most family photos, important memories and memorabilia in two light boxes inside the closet near our front door. I think the fireproof boxes and the already organized and prepared items show I'm a bit of a worrier...but I didn't do this until it hit close to home.

The items I take out are photos and negatives since they are irreplaceable. The memora is 3/4s stuff my kids made, card they gave me and cute school papers. The other quarter is a box of obituaries for genealogy purposes, gifts and cards from hubby and people I've lost.

That tells I'm a sentimentalist. Put both together and you have a realistic sentimentalist..

Agree with emmess, he answered it v well. One more item I'd add - my camera.

All of my important papers and all of our expensive jewelry is in a fireproof safe so I would not worry about that. I know that I should get my computer, because I don't have my companies stuff backed up off site. Still, I would probably take a picture.

I would be torn between the first picture that my wife and I took together so many years ago or the picture of my sons when they were little boys. The older one at barely 4 was giving the younger one 1 1/2 a horsey ride. Come to think of it, their Grandma probably has a duplicate of that picture so maybe I would get the picture of my wife and I.

I'd probably grab the 1 TB hard drive and run. This has all my financial records, my most valuable family photos, my genealogy research, all the papers I've written, my music library, videos, records of business transactions and correspondence - you get the idea. I could carry on "business as usual" if that was safe.

What this says about me? That I'm organized (or paranoid, you pick) about losing that data on an ongoing basis. That I'd give up some other non-replaceable thing in favor of retaining a bulk lot of other things.

And probably that I'm an information junkie.

At first I was thinking "computer" just because monetarily it's the most valuable thing I own, but that could be pretty awkward trying to disconnect all the cords and carrying the big tower out the door while the place burns. I liked @emmess idea about having a box of important documents ready to go for such an emergency, I think would to that...Lets just hope we never arrive at that point.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.