Value Safes

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.

Buying a safe and placing it in a closet may seem like a good idea, but if it’s not bolted down it can be carried off by a determined burglar.  Most burglars don’t have the skills necessary to quickly access a good safe, but if they carry it off where they have time to work on it, that’s a different matter.  So look for a safe that includes boltholes in the bottom.  These boltholes go clear through the bottom of the safe, so you have to unlock the safe to gain acess to the nuts that have the safe bolted down.

If you’re having a new house built, make sure that they include the bolts in the concrete foundation or wood floor.  If you have an existing house, go ahead and take the trouble to have the bolts installed or install them yourself - your safe may not be really protecting anything if you don’t.  Also, be sure to check the burglary and fireproof rating of the safe you purchase for an even more secure setup.

You want to make certain that a fireproof home safe really would protect your valuable documents in the event of a fire.  Here are a few things to look for to make sure.  First, the safe should carry a fireproof rating.  Ratings are typically given in hours, such as a 1-hour fireproof rating.  This means that the safe has undergone a certain test - it was subjected to an actual 1700 degree F fire for a period of 1 hour, and the temperature inside the safe never got above 350 degrees F.  This is a low enough temperature to prevent permanent damage to documents and other valuables.

To make sure the rating is valid, examine the safe.  You should see extra thickness in the door and walls due to the fireproof insulating material, and their should be a special seal around the door that expands when it gets hot - this keeps the water used to put out the fire from getting inside the safe.  Finally, you might also want to consider getting a fireproof home safe that has a burglary rating as well.  Then you can rest assured that your valuables are safe from fire and burglars as well.