The best place to keep your valuables is in a SAFE!

Everyone has those important documents that should and cannot ever be lost. Birth and Death certificates, Estate-planning documents, Life-insurance policies, Savings bonds, Stock certificates and Tax returns are most of the common documents one should be expected to place in a safe. However not every safe serves the same purpose, there is a wide variety of sizes as well as function of safes.

It’s best to decide what your safe is going to be used for and everything you are going to need before you set out to purchase yours. It is advised to determine the average Rand value of the contents. It is not wise to spend the same amount on a safe with a contents worth R5,000 compared to one that’s worth R5,000,000. This is why your budget has to be set out according to the value of its contents.

·         Fire Resistance

        The number 1 concern for most buyers is fire, and whether their valuable would survive extreme heat. The National Fire Protection Association says that there is only a one in four chance that someone would experience a household fire bad enough to call the fire department in an average life time. When rating whether a safe is fire resistant or not, they look at the heat the safe will hold on the inside during a fire. If you are storing paper documents you will look for a safe that doesn’t exceed 350 degrees, Old tape recordings of 35mm slides you will look for a safe that doesn’t exceed 150 degrees and if you are storing Computer disks and DVDs you will look for a safe that doesn’t exceed 125 degrees. A fire tends to move through a house in 20 minutes. Most safes can withstand a fire for about 30 minutes, there are safes that can last longer but they come with w higher price tag.

·         Burglary Protection

        To test whether a safe is burglary-resistant UL testers go at the safes with tools, torches and even explosives. A TL-15 rated safe can withstand and attack for up to 15 minutes using common tools. Most safes don’t carry a very high burglary safety rating but they do have some kind of security. A 1.2 or 1.33 cubic foot safe is heavy and weighs u to 100 pounds without having anything inside it, so it looks less attractive than jewelry, cameras and other small electronics. Many safes also come with bolt down kits which acts as a further deterrent to thieves in a rush. Its best to conceal a safe in a wall of in the floor.

·         Water Resistance

         Most safes come with the added feature of being water proof and are submerged in water to simulate the effects of a flood or broken water line.

Even though Safes are a costly expense, it’s a smart idea to install one or two in your house to keep those important documents and memories you don’t wish to lose because of a small fire, burst pipe or even a robbery. The better you hide your safe from the public the safer your belongings will be.

For safety and security services contact SIS - Security & Investigation Services.