If you are planning to purchase and implement home fireproof boxes and off-site digital storage devices, you need to consider certain features. Both the methods of storage are essential for better organization during emergency.
Features Of a home fireproof box
If you are planning to store paper documents, it is important to go for a fireproof box that has a temperature UL rating of a minimum of 350 for 60 minutes. The rating means with a temperature of 1,700 degrees lasting for 60 minutes, the inside temperature of the fireproof box will have a maximum of 350 degrees. As paper catches fire at 451 degrees, a rating of 350 is good for paper protection. If your location is close to a fire station, you can get along with a 30 minute fireproof box as well. And, if your place of residence is far from a fire station, it is better to go for a maximum rating of 120 minutes.
The fireproof box also needs to be waterproof so that the gushing water being thrown by the hoses of the firefighters does not damage the contents inside. It is important to go for box that is not only water resistant but fire resistant as well.
It is also important for the fireproof box to be fixed well to the floor and hidden from public view so that thieves may find it difficult to locate them easily. Ideally, the box should have security rating of B2, which is the standard of residential security. The rating signifies that it will take a minimum of five minutes for it to be broken by technicians trying to open it. One can go for better ratings (TL-15, TL-30, etc) for higher protection of boxes. However, the costs for these better ratings are higher though.
If the box needs keys to open, you need to keep the spare keys at safe places. It is recommended to keep one key in safe place of your home and one at a place far away from the house. In no way the spare keys should be placed in a safety deposit box at the bank as you will be unable to access the box without its key or correct identification.
Also emergencies can happen at odd hours and your bank may not be open at that hour. The same could be true at your office as well. You need keys to your office as well as proper ID to get inside your office, whatever be the time of the day. During a major fire at your office, you could focus very well on yourself and your loved ones without bothering about your wallet and keys.
There is no need to store photographs or digital media in your home fireproof safes as boxes with a rating of 150 is ideal for photographs while for digital media storing, 125 is enough.
It is better to go to the local hardware or safe store and check the different types of safes available, including their technical details and costs.