Value Safes

Over the last several weeks, Russia has been devastated by an unprecedented heat wave. With unrelenting temperatures in the high 90s and low 100s, drought has become a serious concern. But in recent days an even bigger threat has begun to manifest itself: fires.

Throughout several Russian provinces, rampant fires have decimated communities, leaving homes destroyed and several people killed. Seeing the pictures of families on the lawn with the few possessions they have left is just devastating. It’s horrible to see people have all of their possessions destroyed, but it’s served as a reminder to keep all of my indispensable documents sealed in fire safes.

One of the most common questions I hear is “Should I bolt down my safe?”, my immediate response is always yes.  It doesn’t matter where you live - if you are going to store something in your safe that you consider valuable - do it!  A safe is really just there to by time - if the safe can be carried out of your home how much time is it really going to by you? None!

You can go to your local hardware store and get the bolts needed to bolt it down - such as a red headed toggle bolt.  Don’t bolt your safe down with a short bolt that won’t go down into the concrete very far- this makes it far to easy to pick up and walk off with.   If you use some common sense with the purchase of your safe - you will be set.

I realize that there are times when a theft will happen even if the safe is bolted down.  If this is the case - you have done everything you could to prevent the safe from going missing.  Although unfortunate, you can at least tell yourself you did everything you could to prevent it from happening.

This article”15,000 reward offered in memorial-area armed robberies” is a great example.  The safe was not bolted down and was wheeled down the stairs with a dolly.  While they were in the home for an hour stealing items - it might have provided a better chance of the safe staying in the home had it been bolted down.

Looking for a gun safe?  It takes a lot of research and work on your part to find a good gun safe that suits your needs.  Some of it relies on the information the manufacturer gives you and some of it relies on customer service and asking the right questions. This Hollon RG-16 Repulic Series gun safe is simply amazing.  I was very skeptical about these gun safes before I saw them.  I sure heard a lot of good stuff about them - but the amount of good information I hear about safes is always ongoing.  My jaw dropped when I saw these safes.  They are absolutely a beautiful safe.  They are made very well and they are very sturdy.  The tan interior goes very well with the black exterior and looks very sharp.

I would recommend this gun safe to anyone looking for a gun safe.  It has adjustable and removable shelving on the right hand side and gun racking on the left hand side with a shelf on top.  While this safe has an electronic lock it also has an override key which can not be duplicated - so breaking in via the key hole is a very hard thing to happen.  The overall steel gauge is 3 on the door and 9 on the body - how amazing!  You don’t find steel gauge this thick on most gun safes without paying a couple thousand dollars for these.

When we look at a safe we try to think of the weak points in a safe and figure whether it is worth our money.  Instant common sense tells us that concealed hinges are a safe bet and don’t think about the cons that this poses.  If you think about the structure of the safe, as the door closes there has to be room for the hinges to fold back into as the door closes.

This is very commonly the place in which many manufacturers don’t put any fireproofing.  My father in law has  Liberty Centurion Gun Safe with the concealed hinges.  I was doing some checking on the safe and found what I was afraid of, that he had no fireproofing on that side of the safe.  This little bit of area makes the entire safe non fireproof and a waste of money if you needed it for the fire protection.  I was looking at Lowes the other day also, and found the same safe, but a newer model, with the same problem.  The thin steel that the safe is made out of is easily penetrated into the area in which the hinges are located, which also makes it fairly easy to break into.Think twice about buying a gun safe with concealed hinges - they aren’t as safe as one might think!

Think about all of the documents that you have lying around in a desk drawer or filing cabinet at your home or business.   What would it take to replace them?  A lot of time and money, for one.  In addition, some are probably irreplaceable.  What about those pictures of your family when you were young?  Well, a fire proof safe can help you make sure these documents will never be destroyed.  Not all safes are fire proof — be sure and check the rating on the safe to make sure.

Example fireproof ratings are 1-hour fireproof and 2-hour fireproof.  A 1-hour fireproof rating means that the safe has been subjected to actual fire conditions for a period of 1 hour, and the temperature inside the safe did not get hot enough to damage the contents.  In addition, the safe was tested to make certain that none of the water used to put out the fire made it inside the safe — a rated fire proof safe will protect the contents from damage due to both fire and water.  For more information on the fire proof safe.

Chances are, you have a number of documents in your home or business that would be difficult, if not impossible to replace if they were lost in a fire.  That’s where good fireproof safes come in.  Fireproof safes are tested under actual fire conditions to make certain that the contents remain safe from damage due to the fire and damage due to the water used to put out the fire.

Fireproof safes have special layers of fireproof insulation designed to keep temperatures inside the safe low during a fire.  And they have special heat sensitive door seals that expand when heated to seal the contents off from water damage.  Make certain the safe you buy is fireproof - look for a 30 minute, 1 hour or 2 hour fireproof rating.  You can also kill two birds with one stone by getting a fireproof safe that is also burglary rated — look for a TL 15 or TL 30 rating.  For more information on fireproof safes.

Have you ever thought about what it would take to replace all of the valuable documents in your home or business if they were destroyed by fire?  Some are probably even irreplaceable.  A fireproof safe is the best way to ensure that those documents would not be destroyed in the event of a fire.  Fireproof safes are specially constructed safes that are tested under actual fire conditions to ensure that the contents remain safe during a fire.

They have extra fireproof insulation in the walls and doors, and a special door seal that expands when heated to keep out the water used to put out the fire.  These fireproof safes carry a rating — Typical ratings are a 1-hour fireproof rating and a 2-hour fireproof rating.  So why not think about getting a fireproof safe today to protect your valuable documents?  For more information on the fireproof safe.

Fire safes are designed to protect their contents from damage due to fire and water.  They are specially tested under actual fire conditions to make certain that the contents remain undamaged.  A typical fire rating is a 1-hour fireproof rating.  This means that the safe has been tested to withstand a 1700 degree F fire for a period of 1 hour, and that the temperature inside the safe did not rise above 350 degrees F.  This is a low enough temperature to prevent permanent damage to documents and other valuables.

In addition, the humidity is checked while the fire is being distinguished with water, and  did not rise above 80%.  This makes certain that the safe will not leak any water that could destroy valuable documents.  Fire safes have special seals on the doors which expand when heated, thus sealing out the water.  For more information on fire safes.

A good fire safe is an important part of an overall security strategy.  The results of a fire can be devastating enough, but if you lose all of your important documents and other valuables, it is even more devastating.  So if you are considering purchasing a safe, make sure that it has a fireproof rating.  Typical fireproof ratings are 1-hour fireproof and 2-hour fireproof.  A 1-hour fireproof rating, for example, means that the safe has been tested under actual fire conditions to ensure that the interior of the safe does not rise above a certain temperature.

Fireproof safes are also tested to keep the interior humidity low, to prevent damage from the water used to put out the fire.  You can also buy special media safes, which are intended to protect valuable computer backup data from the harmful effects of fire and water.  They are tested to much sticter standards to keep your valuable media safe.  For more information on the fire safe.

When you think about the security of the valuables, cash and important documents used by your business, one of the first things that should come to mind is safes.  A good bolted down safe can keep burglars from getting to these valuable items - they’ll have to settle for what’s easiest to take if they break in.  Think about the documents or computer backup data that would be nearly impossible to replace if lost in a burglary or a fire.

So a good burglary rated, fireproof safe is a must for any business.  Check to make sure the safe is rated in both of these areas.  Some common burglary ratings are UL TL 15 and TL 30.  Some commone fireproof ratings are a 1 hour or 2 hour fireproof rating.  These ratings mean that these safes have been tested to withstand burglars attempts to open them and tested under actual fire conditions.  If you need to safeguard valuable computer backup media, make sure you get a special media fireproof safe, as these have a much stricter rating to ensure that your media would not be damaged during a fire.