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Step 1
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. -
Step 2
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.
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Step 3
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.
