Fire

There was a fire in the unit next to the Authentic Films office today. Thank God no one was hurt. I stood outside with the rest of the tenants who were home at the time and watched the firefighters drag half of a mattress outside. Apparently someone left a cigarette on the bed. I thought about how we had insurance to cover everything inside, but should the sprinklers be sprinkling inside our office, we would have a real hassle cleaning up and replacing everything.

We were very fortunate that we only had water damage to about 1-2 inches in our place, and all of our equipment was off the ground. Another neighbor wasn't so lucky. Our only cleanup is the water-logged carpeting, some wet mail that was in a bag on the floor, and washing the floor. I was fortunate to have had the help of Donny Schneider and Keith Nickoson who helped clean up and move the carpet outside to dry. Thanks, guys.

Just a reminder to share, as I'm making this list for us to review frequently:

1. backup files regularly

2. archive completed projects on external hard drives

3. keep archives in a different location from working files

4. make sure insurance covers fire damage and water damage separately and together

5. make sure valuable equipment items are listed on policies by serial number

6. waterproof cases are invaluable for camera equipment and gear

7. take photographs occasionally to record contents of office

8. keep equipment and gear off of the floor

9. have contingency strategies in case of emergencies

10. keep local emergency numbers posted