Chances are, if you lost your home or business computer backup media (tapes, CDs, DVDs, floppies) in a fire, it would cost you a lot of time and money to replace the data.  In fact some of your data might be impossible to replace.  So investing in a good quality fireproof media safe is a good idea.  Fireproof media safes are designed to endure a fire and leave the computer backup media in a state where it can still be accessed.  These safes carry a fireproof rating, usually expressed in hours.  An example would be a 1 hour fireproof media rating.

This means that the safe has been subjected to a 1700 degree F fire (the typical temperature of a home or business fire)  for a period of one hour, and the temperature in the safe did not rise above 80 degrees F.  Also, they are tested to ensure that the humidity does not rise above 80% when flooded with water.  This is to protect the media from the harmful effects of the water used to put out the fire.  Fireproof media safes are constructed with special insulating materials in the walls, and have special heat and water  seals around the door that expand as the temperature rises.   Now would be a good time to make sure that your valuable comuter backup data is safe from a fire.   For more information on fireproof media safes.

Chances are you have some documents stored away in your home that would be difficult, if not impossible, to replace if they were destroyed in a fire.  You can kill two birds with one stone by getting a fireproof home safe - your documents will be safe from fire and also from burglars.  A fireproof home safe is surprisingly affordable, and it could be the best investment you ever make.  When looking for a fireproof home safe, check the fire rating that it carries.  Fire ratings are usually expressed as a number of hours.

For example, a fireproof home safe that carries a fireproof rating of 1 hour has been tested to withstand a 1700 degree F fire for a period of 1 hour,  and the temperature inside the safe did not rise above 350 degrees F.  In addition, to ensure that the safe protects against water damage, the humidity did not rise above 80%.  This will ensure that there is no permanent damage to your documents and other valuables.  For more information on the fireproof home safe.

 In general, most safes are built with fire-resistant features. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that they are actually fireproof. The two words are totally different. Fire-resistant safes refer to the ability of the safes to withstand the blazing heat of the fire to certain level. Fireproof safes on the other hand provide more protection than what fire-resistant safes can do. Moreover, fireproof safes can protect even the most delicate data stored in your CD’s or floppy diskettes. Fireproof safes are more dependable when it comes to securing media files.Obtaining fireproof safes are in fact a good investment. Your most valuable possessions are kept safe even if tragedies like a fire happen. Besides, the cost that you will be spending now is actually smaller than the cost of your priced possessions that will only be lost in the fire.

Without adequate protection and safety measures, a fire in your business office could be the most devastating tragedy you will ever experience. These days, business owners have come to realize that it is best to equip their offices with fire protective gadgets and devices such as fire alarms and fire exits.

Unfortunately, these safety measures are not capable of protecting your valuable possessions, since they would be set ablaze in such a disaster. Fireproof office safes are specifically designed to shield your most valuable possessions, documents, and other properties from fire. These fireproof office safes have special features that allow them to withstand the blazing heat of a fire.

Biometric safes are safes that use some type of uniquely distinguishable body feature to grant access to the safe.  Most use a fingerprint scanner to scan the index finger of the person desiring access.  Eye scanners are available, but the technology is still quite costly.  A biometric safe offers to advantages - security and convenience.  There’s no need to remember a combination or pin number, and it’s easy to grant access to new users by scanning their finger.  And biometric safes are the most secure type - the only way to open the safe is to have a fingerprint that matches.  For now, fingerprints rule, but look for reasonably priced eye scanners in the near future.

Safes are used to hide or protect valuables such as jewelry, money, or important documents. As such, safes follow several parameters:

~Burglar-resistance
~Fire-resistance
~Environmental resistance (as protection from water or dust)
~Type of lock—it can either be a combination, time lock, or electronic lock.
~Location (e.g. wall safe, floor safe or hidden/diversion safe)
Fire resistant safes consist of self-contained devices that have insulated bodies, doors, drawers or lids, or non-rated multi-drawer devices with containers that contain one or more inner compartments for storage of records. A fireproof home safe can help keep your valuables away from thieves and protected from fires.

A safe is also called a strongbox or a coffer. It is a secure lockable box made of durable materials. It is used to store important documents or other valuables, to protect them from fire, damage, or burglary. Many homes and offices today have safes that meet their particular type of needs. There are many types of safes that are available in the market today.  

Some types of safe are made with rotary locks. Others rely on pin codes that have been previously entered by the owner. A safe is usually a hollow cube or cylinder, with one face removable or hinged to make a door. The body and door may be made from a sturdy material such as steel, or formed out of plastic.

Three primary types of SAFES:
1. Fireproof Safes

2. Burglary Safes

3. Fire & Burglary Safes
Fireproof Safes
 Fireproof Safes are designed to protect paper from catching fire. It is constructed with a thin metal double wall design which allows a fireproof insulating material to be put between the walls.  When a fire occurs, the insulating material releases moisture which keeps the interior safe temperature below the burning point of paper. These safes are rated by the length of time they will protect their contents under extreme heat conditions. A 1/2-hour rating is used only for small fire-insulated boxes, (popular brand of this is Sentry) Most fireproof safes have 1-hour or 2-hour ratings. These are adequate for the protection of paper records in normal home and business fires. The 4-hour rating is only used for record rooms. If a safe is labeled as a fire resistant container, that label is usually provided by the Underwriters Laboratory (UL). However there are other testing agencies which test and label safes, such as Japan Institute of Standards (JIS) and Korea Safe Standards.  These labels are equivalent to UL labels.
The burglary resistance of a fireproof safe is minimal. Any metal box with a combination lock is described as a Class 1 burglary resistant container.
Media Safes are designed to protect electronic media such as computer disks and video tapes. Like regular fireproof safes, media safes have UL ratings for protection times. Electronic media and data are more sensitive to heat and humidity than paper so a media data safes  are differently constructed and much more heavily insulated than regular fireproof safes with the same rating.
Burglar Resistant Safes
The burglar-resistant safe is designed to contain valuables. It is constructed with solid metal walls and a heavy door resistant to attack by drilling, cutting or prying. Hardened and drill resistant metals are often used to slow down attempts to break in to this safe. These safes are rated in two ways:
1. The class rating (1-5) is based on a combination of door and wall thickness, and in the higher ratings (3-5), resistance to certain forms of attack such as drilling and cutting with a torch. Insurance companies use this rating to designate how much cash may be kept in the safe.
2. The UL rating is a system developed by Underwriters Laboratory which rates safes based on how long they will resist various forms of attack. The UL ratings start at 15 minutes and go to one hour. In addition they add the following letter designations: DR drill resistant, TL tool resistant, TR torch resistant, TRTL tool and torch resistant and finally the X6 designation is reserved for the very best bankers and jewelers safes. They would be designated : TRTL60X6. Please keep in mind that any UL designated burglary safe is of high quality and gives excellent protection.
There are two specialized burglary resistant safes that are commonly used for storage of cash, the in floor safe and the drop safe.
The in floor safe is a round or square tube with a heavily constructed lid which lifts out when unlocked. The tube is usually installed in a concrete floor or it can be installed on the floor surface in a concrete block which adds weight and protects the tube from attack. The main advantage of this safe is the low cost. Since the exposed lid is the only part that is heavily constructed, good protection can be achieved inexpensively.
The drop safe allows envelopes or bank bags to be inserted into the safe while the safe remains locked. The drop can be as simple as a slot in the lid of an in floor safe, or it can be an elaborate hopper or drawer designed to allow large items to be inserted. These safes are used where frequent cash deposits must be made to deter robbery. Often the manager is the only one with access to the “dropped” cash. These safes are never UL burglary rated and are not recommended for long term storage of cash. They are also quite light and should be bolted to the floor or counter to deter the smash-and-grab thief.
Fire & Burglary Safes
Fire & Burglary Safes are designed to give protection against both fire and burglary. It is usually designed as a burglary safe with a secondary wall constructed inside the safe which contains insulation. This safe can be UL rated for both burglary and fire protection.
Another type of combination fire and burglar resistant safe is one where a small burglary resistant container is installed in a larger fire-resistant container. In newer units the fire resistance is UL labeled but often the burglary container is not.
Older Safes
Most older safes are not labeled as either burglar or fire resistant. We can only guess at their true quality and in the case of the burglary containers rate them Class 1, 2, or 3 based on door and wall thickness, according to insurance classifications.
Another point to remember is that often insurance companies ask their clients to by a safe based on weight or to have the safe bolted to the floor if it isn’t heavy enough. Many of those clients come to us wanting to buy an inexpensive fire-resistant safe and have it bolted to the floor.  Though this keeps the thief from picking it up and walking out with it, It doesn’t stop crow bars and other tools.  So be carefull in this area. Because you can be penny wise and pound foolish.  Best to get some good advise.  Call our friends a Vault and Safe or visit their site.

Fireproof Safes feature review is in response to the regular phone calls we get.  They all seem to start with “What kinda safe do I need?”  Well thats what I’m here for. 

I. Fireproof Home Safes.  Typically last about a half hour to one hour in fireproofing. But check the tested time duration.  Some are rated for 1 hour at 1250 degrees and some rated at 1700 degrees for one hour.  Both will promise that the internal tempature will not rise above 350 degrees (above that paper catches fire)  for that time period.  However, the one tested at 1700 degrees will be substantially better.  Though the average fire burns around 950 degrees so both safes should be up to the occasion. 

II. Fireproof Burglary Safes.  Are typically around 2 hours burn time and have much thicker bolts than the fireproof home safes mentioned above.  You will want to pay attention to the tested degrees on the safe and the duration.  Measure the bolt size and are the bolts also on the hinge side? What about the top and bottom section of the door?  Import considerations.  I know that Protex Safe makes a 30 minute fireproof safe with some really good bolts in their higher end models.  However, I like a longer burn time then 30 minutes. 

III. Fireproof Data and Media Safes.  These fireproof safes are rated at the same external temps as above BUT guarentee the inside  will stay at 125 degrees!  Above that and media and data start to fade away and we don’t want that.  This sounds really good until you look at the price.  Which is normally much more expensive because of the material and you will not get much room inside that fireproof safe due to all the extra insulation.

IV. Fireproof High Security Safes.  These start at 1 hour, 1 1/2 hour, 2 hour, and 3 hour fireproof.  Fireking has a 3 hour data safe that is also a high security RSC Rated safe that is top of the line in quality and price.  However, there are many that fit the more resonable price range such as Dyna Vault and Hayman Safe has several types from UL Listed RSC Safe, TL15, TL30 rated safes.  Typically you don’t need too much fireproof on a TL rated safe because the contents are coins and jewelry.  You will find these in coin shops, jewelry stores, or just ordinary paranoid peoples homes like mine! Hahahaha.