How to Pick a Fireproof Safe

My house

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In 2003, my house burned to the ground in the San Diego wildfires, and I lost everything that I’ve ever owned, including all photos of my kids and my lifelong comic book collection. As a result, I wound up kicking my own butt because I didn’t own a fireproof safe. If you don’t want to end up like me, here are some tips on purchasing a fireproof safe.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

How to Pick a Fireproof Safe

Step1

Evaluate your family’s personal needs. Take a quick inventory of the most valuable and sentimental items that you own. How much storage space will you need? Do your items have special preservation needs? Paper documents require a different level of protection than jewelry, film and computer media like CDs and DVDs.

You may also need to consider protecting your valuables from disasters other than fire, such as water damage from flooding or impact damage from falling objects.

Step2

Find a store that specializes in safes and data protection file cabinets. You’ll need to make a visual assessment of these products in person for appropriate interior configuration, storage space, and the availability of extra safe functions, such as an automatic computer data hard drive or USB backup system.

Step3

Questions to ask the store salesperson might include: Which safe has been approved by the GSA (U.S. Government Service Administration)? Most safes with GSA approval are used to protect classified information.

Ask which safe has the highest burglary classification. TL-15 classification offers limited protection against common burglary tools, while TL-30 offers more protection.

Tips & Warnings

UL125 and UL350 are two fireproof ratings to consider when selecting a safe. These ratings reflect a safe’s allowable interior temperature in the event of a fire. A UL125 rated safe will allow interior temperatures up to 125 degrees. A UL350 rated safe will allow interior temperatures up to 400 degrees.