Fire – one of the four elements from which the ancient gods created the world around us – is, like the others, water, air and earth, a beautiful but destructive force capable of turning almost anything to ashes in the blink of an eye. Despite increasingly stringent safety precautions, the outbreak of fire can happen anywhere – at home, in the office, the workplace or in a shop, and various objects, some less, others more valuable, are exposed to fire. The obvious victim of uncontrolled fire spread is anything made of paper, thus documents and cash money in the first place. Today we will look at how to go about storing documents to protect them from fire.
Which documents are worth protecting from burning?
Important documents accompany us both at home and at work. At home, we mainly store documents relating to personal matters. These include, in particular:
• notarial deeds,
• contracts,
• diplomas and theses,
• securities.
And also equally flammable:
• money in cash,
• photographs, albums and family heirlooms.
If the fire-proof safe serves a business application, then company documents, including invoices and personal data, come first.
In light of current legislation on the storage of documents containing personal data, it is incumbent on every company or institution to properly secure these types of documents against both burglary and fire.
Find out more: Securing documents at home and in the company
What is a fireproof safe?
A fireproof safe is an indispensable device that provides protection for valuable items and documents in the event of a fire. Thanks to their special design and insulating materials, these safes are able to withstand extreme temperatures, protecting the contents from destruction by fire.
They are ideal for storing important company documents such as contracts, title deeds, certificates, identity cards, passports, wills, insurance policies, as well as money, jewellery, hard drives, memory sticks, memory cards and other valuables.
Fireproof safes are available in a variety of sizes and configurations to suit individual user needs and space conditions.
In addition, they are equipped with a variety of locking systems, from traditional key locks to advanced digital or biometric locks, ensuring a high level of security and access only for authorised individuals. Their durability and reliability are confirmed by certificates from independent institutions, and this ensures that a fireproof safe will last for many years without failure.
The use of fireproof safes is wide, both in business and in the protection of private property, offering effective protection against unpredictable events such as fire.
Which fireproof safe to choose for the home?
Although there are plenty of fireproof safes on offer, fireproof safes with fairly compact dimensions are the most common choice for home use. The external dimensions of the smallest of these allow the safe to be inserted into a wardrobe or built-in furniture, which is something that many customers pay particular attention to.
Home fireproof safes do not only allow for the storage of documents. As they are equally protective against fire and burglary, you can keep valuable items such as jewellery, family heirlooms, data carriers or small weapons in them, with peace of mind that nothing of the contents will fall into the wrong hands.
Fire-proof safe in the company
While we mainly use small safes for domestic use, companies still accumulate a lot of paper documents despite the increasing digitalisation. Classic metal cabinets are being replaced over time by robust, burglar-proof and fireproof cash-boxes, which are made of high-quality materials and provide optimum protection.
Fireproof armoured cabinets have external dimensions of up to 2 metres in height, are double-door, spacious and suitable for storing documents in files numbering in the dozens. There are many products in the range that offer effective protection against fire.
What are the fire resistance classes?
Fireproof safes are built a little differently to other safes. Their structures are reinforced with an additional layer of thermal insulation and a seal is run around the door frame, which reacts in the event of a fire, swelling under the influence of high temperatures and effectively sealing the safe.
Fire resistance is certified by EU-accredited testing bodies, such as the German Vds. Fire resistance classes are expressed in minutes and are: 30, 60, 120 minutes.
It is worth noting that separate classes are for paper documents and separate ones are for ensuring the survival of data carriers.
Find out: Fireproof safes – what are the differences between paper safes and data media safes?
Which fire-proof safe is to be purchased?
Contrary to what you may think, buying a fireproof safe that meets your needs may not be so easy. Depending on your needs and what you want to store inside, you'll be faced with reviewing a wide range of products that differ in as many factors as they have in common.
Security
As we remember, with fireproof safes you are protecting the contents not only in case of fire, but also against theft, so the first step is to choose a grade, both burglary and fireproof. It will be helpful here to try to estimate the value of the deposit, although not always. Many customers choose fireproof safes to hold flammable but financially worthless items such as souvenirs or photographs.
External dimensions
The second issue is size. Fireproof safes vary in size, with the external dimensions of the safe starting at 38 cm high and ending somewhere above 2 m. If you need roomy storage for documents, you'll need to look in larger sizes.
Electronic or key lock?
Case three is the question of how you want your unit to be locked. The standard access security is an approved key lock, but this solution, although available on a standard basis, is rarely chosen. The vast majority of customers purchase an electronic lock. If the door of the safe is wide enough, you can equip the fireproof safe with an additional lock with an emergency key. The electronic lock is simple and intuitive.
Delivery
Once you have chosen a product that meets your expectations, it's time to choose where to install it. Fireproof safes are heavy products, even the smallest weighs over 100 kg. In order to bring such an item into an office or flat effectively and securely, you need to make serious preparations.
First of all, it is necessary to check whether the external dimensions of the safe allow it to be transported to its destination, and whether the load-bearing capacity of the floor or stairs allows you to place a device of this weight.
The transport questionnaire which is enclosed with the offer will be helpful, we encourage you to read its contents. For more information on safe delivery, please see the 'Advice and support' tab.
Why an adviser?
Although it seems rather obvious, buying a safe is and should remain a bastion of old-style commerce. Nowadays it's becoming more and more common to shop online, the shops offer a quick and easy buying experience and the lowest regular price decides, promotions also happen. We have an online shop ourselves, but you can mainly buy the smallest and lightest models there, such as gun safes. Meanwhile, fire safes are a more complicated issue and it is better to give yourself time to find out more about the safe in a relaxed manner.
It is said that price works wonders, but for most of our customers who are just starting out with safes, the net price (as it is usually quoted) is a meaningless parameter. It is surprising to many that each safe is different, that there are at least eight security classes, that there are also several fireproof classes, but that no safes are waterproof 😊.
Summary
Fireproof safes are an excellent tool for storing documents, providing security not only against fire but also in the event of a break-in. They are high quality equipment, protecting the items inside from being penetrated by a destructive fire. As a manufacturer, we offer a wide range of products to meet even the toughest requirements.
Fire safes are unlikely to be purchased from an online shop; it is worth discussing the matter with an advisor, which such a shop does not provide. Safes are an issue that requires specialist knowledge and experience, which a reputable manufacturer has and is willing to share.
Contact our sales department to tell us about your needs, and we will choose the safes that will serve you best to store your documents from a sea of models, while ensuring that you are offered the lowest regular price possible.
Tell us about your safe and we'll make you that safe.
