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Burglar Fire Safes

Most home safes fulfill one of two important functions. Either the safe protects against theft, or it shields contents from fire damage. It's a serious, but common, mistake to assume home safes with a burglar-proof rating also protect against fire, or that a fire-proof safe will foil a determined burglar.

If you need protection against both fire and theft, you need a composite safe specifically designed to meet both threats. To ensure a home safe meets both demands, it must undergo rigorous testing.

Fire Safe Ratings
Fire ratings for Burglar / fire safes vary depending on the safe manufacturer. Many manufacturers opt for private laboratory testing. The safe is exposed to temperatures between 1200-1800 degrees Fahrenheit after which the laboratory times how long the safe's internal temperature says below 350 degrees. Paper and money begins to char at approximately 387 degrees Fahrenheit, so ideally a fire safe should maintain a temperature at or under 350 degrees.

For the best possible fire protection, choose a safe which passed K.I.S. or U.L. fire tests: these two companies have the strictest fire ratings in the world.

UL Burglar Ratings
Burglar / fire safes should have manufacturer ratings of B, B/C or C which indicate the thickness of safe walls and doors. In addition, a burglar/fire safe may have a UL RSC(Residential Security Container) certification, indicating the safe model endured a full five minutes of drilling, chiseling, punching, prying, and tampering attacks by Underwriters Laboratory technicians using professional tools--a combination of skills and equipment rarely found in burglars.

Manufacturer burglar ratings indicate the following:

A burglar / fire safe with a B, C, B/C, or RSC rating can store $5,000 to $30,000 worth of items depending on the rating. If you plan on storing more than $30,000 worth of items, please consider high security safes.
Home safes come with factory anchor holes and should always be anchored to concrete or wood floors. Do not assume a freestanding safe will deter thieves---unless you anchor the safe to the floor, determined burglars can simply make off with the entire safe and crack it at their leisure.
Remember as well a burglar / fire safe is not designed to protect electronic devices. While paper documents can survive 350 degrees Fahrenheit in a fire safe, the same temperatures will destroy most electronics.
Burglar / fire safes offer protection against the two biggest threats to personal property.
Call one of our experts today to discuss how best to protect your valuables.