It’s the perennial question: what’s one thing you would take with you if your house was on fire? Years ago it would’ve been a photo album or pet but now we’re a bit more practical.
In a recent survey conducted by RACQ, it was found that 71.7 per cent of respondents would run for their wallets or handbags. This was the most popular answer by a long shot – pets were the next to be saved (55.9 per cent).
Interestingly, phones and tablets were third on the list of things to save in a fire. 10 years ago this would’ve been a desktop computer and now it’s a lot easier to just grab your phone and run instead of fiddling with cords.
Others were more sentimental, with a substantial amount saying they’d grab photographs (45.7 per cent) or salvage their uni degree (8.1 per cent) if they were in a fire emergency.
It was also found that one in five people would make a dash for their jewellery, 15 per cent would take glasses while nearly 8 per cent would endeavour to save items from their wardrobe.
Practicality was a priority with survey respondents thinking they’d take cash (45 per cent), their laptop (36.7), passport (35.30), back-up drive (24), glasses (15) and shoes (5.4) if their house was ablaze.
According to a Queensland Fire and Emergency spokeswoman, there were 522 residential structure fires last winter, with 171 occurring in Brisbane.
QFES winter fire safety tips include:
Tell us, what would you save in the event of a fire? What is your most precious possession?