It is said that money is an acquired thing and will always be found. Such an optimistic assumption is always at a premium, but another wise adage states that the prudent is always secure and the guarded one is protected... by the safe. Today we will look at the two biggest threats lurking in your cash. The first, quite obvious, is the so-called secondary distributor of gross domestic product, i.e. the thief. The second, incomparably more powerful, the element of fire. How do you protect yourself against them so that what is yours remains yours? I invite you to read.
Opportunity makes the thief
People fall into two groups. Some keep enough cash at home to have it for an unplanned pizza or charges, on the assumption that too much money at home is damaging and tempts fate. So they keep their savings in the bank, trade in securities or invest, so that once they have earned it, the money works instead of declining in value. Others, on the contrary, assume that banks steal, the state steals even more, and that the safest thing to do is to keep money on hand, because the Russians will come and you will have to flee.
It is not for us to judge which group is right, probably both in part, but certainly, if you do decide to keep your money at home, make sure it is properly secured.
Money should not lie in plain sight, in places as obvious as drawers in a commode. Because sooner or later someone will see it. This could be a friend, the cleaner, the babysitter or the postman.
Burglar-proof safe
A burglar-proof safe is a good choice for both home and office use. It provides excellent security in the event of a break-in and is also suitable for storing documents and money. Numerous models are available and the choice depends on your individual needs. But what is a burglary safe and how do you choose one?
In simple terms, a burglary safe is a box made of steel, access to which is defended by a solid door equipped with key, combination or electronic locks. The door has bolts on one or more sides. The burglary safe is certified by a body accredited in Europe and the manufacturer guarantees that the construction conforms to the European standard. The burglary grade is confirmed by a badge on the inside of the door, and the higher the grade, the better the burglary safe. That's it in a nutshell, and more details in a moment.
What does a burglary look like?
To protect yourself from burglary, you must first be aware of how burglary happens. Burglary and theft are serious crimes with severe penalties, hence burglars will do what they can to minimise the risk of getting caught. How? By reducing the duration of the entire incident to a few minutes, maximum. This amount of time is usually enough to smash a window pane or break down a door, go inside and superficially penetrate the interior of your home, take what catches the eye and escape.
Burglars generally carry basic equipment, a crowbar, hammer, sometimes a blowtorch or tin snips. Burning torches, drills or mechanical steel-cutting devices are rare, as their use generates noise, sometimes quite loud, and this is something that amateurs of your possessions have no interest in.
In which security class should you choose a burglar safe?
Burglar-proof safes are divided into security classes. In brief, the classification, counting from the weakest class to the best, is as follows:
S1, S2 – classes of light safes certified according to EN 14450,
I, II, III, IV and V – safes with multi-walled construction, which have a burglary resistance level certified according to the stringent EN 1143-1 standard.
Intuitively, the higher the level, the more secure the device. But what are the differences between the classes? The physical difference boils down to the use of more and more layers of armour, consisting of materials with different physical properties. In safes with higher resistance grades, the bolts securing the doors are also stronger. All this is done in order to increase the time needed for a successful burglary as much as possible, and it is this time that determines the class of burglary safe in question.
It is worth noting at this point that in classes IV and V safes appear equipped with two independent locks, usually electronic.
The higher the value of the deposit stored inside, the higher the burglary protection should be, especially as this is a factor that insurers pay attention to.
Fireproof safes
Now that we have found a burglar-proof safe for storing documents and money, it is worth taking care of the second, equally important aspect, which is to provide protection in the event of fire.
An uncontrolled fire spreads rapidly, destroying not only your important possessions but also your documents, the loss of which will cause you great inconvenience. How to protect oneself in case of fire?
Fireproof safes have a design similar to that of an anti-burglary safe. However, they must have two features to ensure that fire does not get in.
The first is a separate layer of thermal insulation in the multi-walled body and door construction. Depending on the model and fire resistance class, this layer can consist of different materials, but the most effective is a salt solution board. As a thermal insulator, the salt provides excellent protection against the penetration of high temperatures into the appliance.
The second is the gaskets placed around the door frame. When exposed to high temperatures, the seals swell and permanently seal the gaps between the door and the body. As a result, the interior of the safe becomes hermetically sealed.
What are the fire resistance classes?
As with anti-burglary safes, fireproof safes are divided into fire resistance classes and protection is expressed in minutes.
Thus, in our range you will find:
• Fire resistance of 30 minutes, class LFS 30P in accordance with prEN 15659. safes with this class are available in burglary classes S1 to III.
• Fire resistance of 60 minutes, class S60P in accordance with EN 1047-1. These models are available in burglary resistance classes S2, I and II.
• Fire resistance of 120 minutes, class S120P in accordance with EN 1047-1. They are available in class I and II.
As this article is about document and cash storage, we have focused on fire resistance classes for paper documents. For the sake of clarity, however: there are separate safes designed to provide protection for electronic data carriers. The fire resistance certification is then different and includes classes S60 DIS (60 minutes) and S120 DIS (120 minutes) according to EN 1047-1.
Which safe to buy?
If you need a document storage device that will provide an equal level of protection against both fire and burglary, you will have quite a few models to choose from in different classes and sizes.
From experience, we know that for domestic use, customers are more likely to choose compact safes that will fit comfortably into built-in furniture. In this case, we encourage you to consider safes that are a little larger, as the space available for storing documents usually starts to run out sooner than you might expect.
In business, it's a little different: you're more likely to consider large, roomy models, sometimes with two doors, in which dozens of files full of documents will be safe. In our offer you will find both.
It is worth remembering that fireproof safes have their own installation requirements. While those in the LFS 30 class can be fitted with a through hole in the back, typical fireproof safes, i.e. in the S60P/S120P or S60DIS/S120DIS classes, can only be mounted to the floor.
These are safes whose weight can be considerable, especially the larger ones. Their mass can reach several hundred kilograms, so when choosing the place of mounting, be guided not only by the space, but also by the load capacity.
Summary
A safe is best for storing documents and money, even better if it is a high-class burglar-proof safe, and preferably if it is additionally fireproof. This combination provides an optimum and comprehensive level of protection so that you can sleep soundly. And if you want to buy a safe, it's best to buy it from us – we offer a wide range of models in various sizes, where you'll find something to suit your needs.
