Fresno City Firefighter Mark Martinez has seen it all first hand.
Mark Martinez, Fresno City Firefighter: "Oh it's sad, I mean sometimes you can relate to your own life and think what if this happened to me?"
Caroline Martinez, Fresno Homeowner: "Definitely I have a top drawer in each of the kids' room and their top drawer is filled with all their memorabilia from the tags when they were in the hospital to their baby books. I would probably grab those things first. Then I would save pictures."
But if they ever needed to, could they really remember what's in their home? We put them through a little test. With the help of Tully Lehman, from the Insurance Information Network of California.
Tully Lehman: "Your house has either been broken into or you suffered a fire and there's been some damage. Can you identify things that are in your house?"
We chose one room the kitchen and Mark and Caroline tried to list everything in there, by make and model and cost.
Caroline and Mark: "Dishwasher, stove and range were all existing and they're Kitchenaid. Yes."
Tully: "So let's go through and see what sort of thing you hit and what sort of things you may have missed."
The Martinezes did pretty well, but still forgot the cook top, coffeemaker, waffle maker, phone, and a drawerful of kitchen tools and bake ware totaling nearly a thousand dollars.
Caroline: "As you saw, we forgot a lot of things, so I think it was really good. Kind of sobering."
Mark: "And this is a room we're familiar with. Had it been the garage or other areas of the house that we're not frequenting."
People often forget things that are stored away in drawers or closets or even under the bed. For example, in this home, there's a 12-hundred-dollar wedding dress kept under this bed.
That's where a home inventory comes in. The company is offering free software to help homeowners keep track of everything in every room of the house. From video games in the family room to tools in the garage.
Do it for every room of the house, update it yearly to include any new purchases or home renovations, and keep a copy in a safe place.
It'll give you peace of mind even in the hardest of times.
Once you finish your home inventory, you may need to adjust your policy. Contact your insurance agent to make sure you're not underinsured.
