Thought Provoking Question

I'd get the kids out and at a safe distance and go back in and get whoever was left that couldn't get out on their own power. I think for every parent it is instinctual.

I would yell at my 2.5 year old to get up quick and follow M. and then grab the baby on the way out the door (2.5 year old is across the hall, baby next door).

Thanks for asking this because I think we should start discussing "what to do in case of a fire."

The children in your hypothetical situation. In reality, you do what you can.

Get a fire escape plan in place and be sure that your kids know to NOT hide from anyone during an emergency.

Absolutely the children. They have a full life ahead of them!

I would grab my children without thought first thing -always.

All you can do is lay out a plan, and practice it. For me, I would go to my youngest's rooms first, because my oldest can unlock and open his own window and knows to go out with out looking back should the alarms go off. My youngest can not open his, so he has been told to go over to his brothers room if he can and climb out that window, but his room is the first place I would go to be sure he made it out as well.

I think about this all the time. I totally freak out when I drive over bridges with the kiddos...OMG! How would I get 2 kids under 2 out of their car seats, then out of the car, then safely to land! AAAAAHHHHHHH. I can't even imagine my anxiety level come May when I have more kids than arms!

I hope to God I will never have to make these decisions. In our house I have to walk by my youngest sons room to get to my oldest sons room, so I would grab the youngest first.

I only have 2 children (& a dog we love dearly), but I've already discussed this with my husband. I grab my daughter & he grabs our son. I didn't even think about our dog (a lab). As much as I love her & she's a part of the family, if she didn't sprint out of the bedroom with us (she sleeps on the floor in our bedroom & an excellent protector of "her babies [our kids]"), I'd hope that she'd soon follow. I'd be devastated if she didn't make it out, but thankful that my human family did.

This haunts me too. I actually think that this concept is part of the reason (subconsciously anyways) that I spaced my children so far apart. They are 5 years apart. I know that in an emergency, my 8yo will be able to stay close to me on his own and can take care of himself with only supervision and an occasional assist from me. That leaves my hands mostly free to scoop up my 3yo and get everyone to safety.

i would grab the younger one's first then work my way to the eldest. the children have a full life. i would NEVER leave a child in a burning house, sinking car, or standing on a free way, they are too young to know what to do, except stand there, cry and wait for the ONE person that they KNOW they can depend on to save them....M. or dad; or both,

i would die before my daughter died in a fire because i didn't at least attempt to be her super woman that day then i'd die right along with her if i couldn't save her too. parents and grandparents can figure their own way out if they have to...KIDS COME FIRST!

i would alert the children first by mere instinct.,

My house caught on fire when i was little my M. got all us kids first and got us outside, and tended to my dad, (who was on fire) as an after thought. Later i found out that My dad had told her to do that, but she was already on her way.

Hiya M.'s

I myself am M. of 3, ages 5 - 3 and 2. I am a paramedic, and before this was a firefighter for 6 years. I have started reading through responses, and was a little surprised that people were saying that they would go back into a home with a fire. Get out and call 911. The quicker you get trained help the better off the situation will be for everyone. Never go back into a burning building, fire spreads RAPIDLY and statistically when a person reenters a burning building, they will not make it back out alive. While you may be thinking that this is ridiculous, it is not. I too grapple with how to get out of the house with the family intact. Make sure you have working smoke detectors on every floor (minimally), if you have a house with more than one level it's a great idea to have an escape ladder on each floor. Don't go back in.

This question presents all differen types of scenarios! Layout of the house and who is in what room would be factors. Where the fire (or other danger) was...
If they're all in equal danger, go for the youngest.
If there's only one exit, go to the one furthest away from the usable exit.
If one is nearest to the danger, go for them.

Having a place for everyone to go to (meet) once they get out is very important, too.

P.S. I saw a video about fire alarms that have the parents' recorded voice yelling, "WAKE UP! THERE'S A FIRE! WAKE UP! THERE'S A FIRE!" They even videotaped kids asleep when the regular beeping fire/smoke alarms went off, and the kids had real trouble waking up (and some DIDN'T wake up). When they used the alarm with the recorded parent's voice, the kids woke up much better.

I don't think it's a weird question, I have wondered that myself...
My husband works overnight shifts sometimes and I would be home alone with 2 small kids who have their own rooms. In a fire (lightening strike in a storm or whatever), who's room would I go to first? I used to lay awake at nights wondering that sometimes. Their rooms were at opposite ends of a hallway on the opposite end of the house from ours.

Now that my kids are older they know what to do to get out, but I worry that they wouldn't wake up. My son is a VERY HEAVY sleeper and has slept through beeping smoke detector's before (when the battery starts to get weak and it starts to beep every 5 minutes or so to let you know... and of course, that always happens at 3:00 a.m.)...

Busymommy... I have done that too! We live in a coastal area, and there are multiple bridges along our route wherever we go. I cross at least 3 just getting them to school each day. Depending on where we are going, there is also a suspension bridge (the really huge tall ones over very wide expanses) along our route. The whole, do I get the window down first or go for the kids' seat belt first question always caused me to shut down on trying to figure it out!

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Whoever was in the most danger. If they were all in the same amount of danger, then I would probably help the children first.........

I would always save the other person first. I would save a child or baby before an elderly person, simply because they haven't had a chance at their life yet and an old person has ( my M. who is older, - but not elderly, as she tells me!- agrees with this!). I would save kids first, adults second and pets third- or just try and shoo pets outside or dump them out a window.

Ummm....wierd question.
I would save the children first. They have not lived their lives....they are just starting out.
Why are you asking this?
L.
Added: Okay, now I saw your last line there. How old are your children? I have always told my kids to stay in their rooms...do NOT HIDE!!! My brother had a very good friend whose house went up in flames. 3 of his kids died because they hid in the closet and no one could find them. Take your children to your local fire station and have them see what a fireman is going to look like all dressed up in his gear, how he is going to be loud breathing through his mask and let them ask questions. My boys know to stay PUT and scream so we know where they are and can get to them.

Yikes. Is this your situation or just something you were wondering?

I feel like this is one of those "would you rather eat razor blades or walk on shards of glass" questions. There isn't a solid answer and you are in pain either way.

In reality, every organization (including families) should have a plan in place to make sure that there is a system to get people to safety. But to answer your question, my children would be out first. Period. I would then help the rest.

small child first.. i think i would try to put older person out of harms way.. like away from the fire or near and exit.. then get out with small child.. tell them to stay and run back or have someone else run back for other person.

We actually have this situtation in our house. Its me, my husband, our daughter (3.5) and my husbands M. (wheelchair disabled). I have thought about this and we are ecpecting #2. It would deff be the kids 1st, after abby is born baby then daughter and drag them both with me, then if I still can come back for my MIL, but the likely hood of a fire I could not get her out without her wheel chair so it depends on the situtation. May sound cold but my babies always come 1st even before hubby, so babies, hubby, then MIL, I pray my dogs would follow right behind.

Children first no doubt in my mind. I would save any child that could not get out on their own and I know this sounds horrible for me to say but the elderly or disabled would be next. I think the quality and quantity of life are a major factor in my decision. Would I feel guilty if someone did die absolutely, would I hold it against myself forever, sure would but that would be my decision.