Your things are valuable, no matter how small

Fires are devastating enough. When flames rip through a house, not only is the structure ruined — any number of documents that would have helped homeowners rebuild their lives likely become ash as well. A small fireproof safe can keep your important documents and other small valuables protected in the event that your residence is burned, so you can make picking up the pieces just a little bit easier should the worst happen.

“Fire Resistant” vs “Fire Proof”

The term “fire proof” can be misleading when used incorrectly. When some see the word “proof” they might assume it’s being used to mean “incapable of being harmed by a certain thing”. Needless to say, fire can reach extraordinary temperatures under certain conditions, so it’s difficult to call something fire proof without drawing lines somewhere. That’s why safes are given fire resistance ratings, to quantify the circumstances they can withstand, and for how long. In common usage and conversation fire proof and fire resistant are effectively synonymous, and most people will know what you mean either way, but it’s also useful to know that “fire resistant” is usually the more precise term, especially when accompanied by an exact rating.

Fire Rating

American Security goes to great lengths in design, engineering, and testing to ensure that each of our safes will offer the utmost security and toughness. Fire resistance is one metric by which we measure success. Our fire-rated safes are certified by both Underwriters Laboratories (UL) and Intertek, two independent quality assurance and safety standards certification companies, to make certain they can stand the heat.

In order to earn a UL Class 350 1-hour fire rating, a safe must be able to withstand fires at temperatures higher than 1700ºF on the outside of the safe, with the internal temperature staying under 350ºF for the duration of one hour. Safes can also receive a two-hour and three-hour rating for the same conditions. The typical house fire is usually 1,100ºF or hotter, so a fire safe with these ratings is an effective protector against flames and other natural disasters in the home.