Safes
Safes for the home and office
In todays world, many homeowners and business owners are faced
with natural disaster as well as dishonesty. In order to protect
their valuables, they take certain security measures to insure
their peace of mind. One of these steps is investing in a safe.
There are three basic categories of safes for the home and
office. The items that you are protecting will determine what
type of safe will best suit your needs.
1-Burglary safes are designed for the storage of valuables such
as money, jewelry, coins, stamps, heirlooms, handguns, and
cameras. These safes are rated according to the thickness of the
doors and bodies and tested by Underwriters Laboratories. Floor
safes are a good choice in a burglary safe as they are hidden and
as also offer fire protection when properly installed. According
to FBI statistics, a burglary occurs in the US every 9 seconds.
2-Fire safes, also known as record safes, are for the storage of
documents such as deeds, wills, birth certificates, and tax
records. The storage of tax papers in a rated safe may be
deductible-check with your accountant. Fire safes have a very
limited degree of burglary protection as they can be pried open
with common hand tools. Fire safes are rated by UL to provide
fire protection for a minimum of one hour. Two hour models are
also available and most have adjustable shelves for convenient
storage. According to statistics, a fire occurs in America every
50 seconds, and one in 4 homes will have a fire of some sort.
Common now are safes that are rated for both fire and burglary
protection in one package. These are above ground and make a good
alternative for the person that cannot use an in the floor model.
They are quite heavy and can also be bolted to the floor for
additional protection.
3-Media safes are for the storage of computer disks, microfiche,
tape cartridges, and film negatives. Because of the low
temperatures that these products need, a standard fire safe will
not suffice. A UL rated Media safe will keep items under 125
degrees for a minimum of one hour. Custom interiors can be
provided to fit the items that are being stored.
Digital locks on safes are becoming commonplace as they are more
"user friendly". Gone are the days of turning the lock
4 times left, 3 times right etc. Digital locks are as easy to
open as dialing the telephone. They are readily changeable by the
user and will also automatically lock instead of remembering to
spin the dial 4 times to scramble the combination. Multiple user
combos can be specified for the business owner with employees as
one person's code can be deleted without effecting the other
existing codes, therefore a new combo does not have to be
relearned by everyone.
When choosing the security company that you will be purchasing
your safe from, make sure that they meet the following criteria.
Make certain they are bonded, insured and have proper licensing-a
contractors license will be required for safe installations.
Longevity in business is a valuable plus and a service department
for after sale service should be considered a requirement.
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