What would you grab when fleeing a disaster? Canadians reveal their top priorities
Mississauga, ON (May 1, 2025) – As wildfires, floods, and extreme storms threaten more Canadian communities each year, a new survey from First Onsite Property Restoration reveals what Canadians would grab first when disaster strikes – and what they would leave behind.
Released ahead of Emergency Preparedness Week (May 4–10), the findings offer a revealing glimpse into Canada’s top priorities in the face of sudden evacuation. Topping the list? Pets, credit cards and important documents are the three things Canadians say they would grab first if they had to leave home in a hurry.
Top items Canadians would take during an evacuation:
- Credit cards (54%)
- Pets (51%)
- Important documents (51%)
- Medications (45%)
- Pre-packed emergency bag (33%)
- Food (20%)
- First aid kits (16%)
- Heirlooms (11%)
- Electronics (10%)
- Clothing, footwear, and jewelry (9%)
The survey results reflect the recent emotional scenes from wildfires across North America. During the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles and the massive wildfires in Jasper, residents rushed to evacuate—often putting pets before possessions.
“In both the Palisades and Jasper fires, the emotional bond with pets and the determination to protect loved ones was a central theme, with many risking their safety to ensure animals were safely evacuated,” said Jim Mandeville, SVP, Large Loss North America, First Onsite. “These moments highlight the urgent need for emergency planning and the instinct to safeguard what truly matters.”
This is the second phase of First Onsite’s annual Weather and Property Survey, which explores Canadians’ attitudes, concerns, and readiness in the face of increasingly severe weather events. The first phase, launched in March, showed Canadians were worried about the effects of climate change, weather and insurance rates.
Preparedness by the numbers: what the survey revealed
Across the country, Canadians reported their experiences and levels of personal preparedness. Highlights are included in the below tables:
Tools for preparedness
“Effective emergency plans are essential tools to help homeowners, communities and businesses respond to disasters,” added Mandeville. “The steps taken before a catastrophic event often shape how quickly and effectively recovery begins.”
To help Canadians get ready, First Onsite offers free resources, including:
With nearly two decades of experience responding to Canada’s worst floods, fires, tornadoes, and winter storms, First Onsite continues to stand at the forefront of emergency preparedness and disaster recovery across the country.
About the FIRST ONSITE Weather and Property Survey
These findings are from a survey conducted by Maverick Public Relations from February 19th to February 21st, 2025, among a representative sample of 1,501 online Canadians who are members of the Angus Reid Forum. The survey was conducted in English and French. For comparison purposes only, a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of +/-2.53 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
About First Onsite
First Onsite Property Restoration is one of the largest and fastest-growing emergency response planning, mitigation, and reconstruction service providers in North America. First Onsite employs over 2,500 team members and operates from more than 100 locations across Canada and the U.S. With a culture focused on harnessing the human power of its team members and a commitment to doing what’s right, the First Onsite team helps clients restore, rebuild, and rise. First Onsite is a subsidiary of FirstService Corporation. For more information, visit www.firstonsite.ca.
Source: First Onsite Property Restoration
Tags: FirstOnSite Restoration, survey