You’ve protected your building with locks and alarms; you even have surveillance cameras recording the activities of people and events. But what have you done to protect your most valuable possessions, such as cash, vital corporate records and computer data? For these, you need a safe.

A safe can preserve its contents, even if the building burns down around it. A safe will slow down a burglar, giving time for the police to respond to your alarm system. And a safe will protect a business’ cash and information from being a target of white collar criminals.

Anatomy of a safe.
When closed, locked and alarmed, a safe is a formidable fortress that protects your possessions. But it also needs to be easy to operate for legitimate users. Call us to discuss the best models for your situation.

Not Your Average Office Supply Store Safe!
There are lots of bargain safes available at hardware or office supply stores, but they are not built the same way. They may look good on the store shelf, but how will they look in the basement debris of a burned building, after being exposed to 1200-1800 degree heat for two hours? More importantly, what will the contents look like? (Or will the contents already be in the hands of a thief?) If the items in your safe are important to you, give them the safety and security they deserve. Give us a call or come in and see for yourself the benefits of a well-built safe!

Different Construction for Different Situations
Safes can be built primarily for protection from fire, burglars, or both.

A “fire” safe is designed to insulate the contents from the heat of a fire. Cheap ones will have sheetrock (stops flames, but not heat); better ones will have a composite mix of concrete and other materials, plus a metallic door gasket material that expands and seals when exposed to heat. These will be UL rated as shown at left. Safes designed for photos or computer “media” will have additional heat protection.

A “burglar” safe is stronger. Whereas a fire safe might only have thin sheet metal that sandwiches its insulation, any teenager with a drill and a hammer could easily open it. A burglar safe will have high strength steel that could vary from ¼” to several inches thick. And although no safe is totally impermeable, the extra armor and technology take time to penetrate -- time that a burglar can’t afford to spend on site. To prevent the thief from simply carrying away the safe, it must either weigh 750 pounds or be strongly secured to the building. Ratings are given if the safe can withstand a skilled burglar with powered shop tools for either 15 minutes or 30 minutes or even longer.

A Wide Variety of Safes
Not all safes are created equal. Some are designed for maximum security and are rarely opened. Others need frequent access. For instance, insulated file cabinets give full-time fire protection but only need to be locked at night. Here’s a brief overview of different types.

Petty cash. This locked box typically resides in the office manager’s desk drawer and contains a few hundred dollars. With no insulation and light enough to just be carried away, its main function is to provide control and ease of use to a responsible manager.

Retail cash drops. These are ideal for retail outlets or late-night offices that need to keep very little cash accessible. Drop bills in and they stay secure until the morning supervisor unlocks them.

Keys. If you have a lot of keys to buildings, cabinets or vehicles, you’ll want to control and protect them in a locked cabinet in a secure area, usually at a guard’s or receptionist’s desk.

File cabinets. Ideal for legal or important documents. Portables to full-sized floor models. These fireproof insulated drawers give immediate access to files. They have traditional file cabinet locks and give moderate theft protection and a high level of fire protection.

Harmful objects. Whether for guns in a home safe, or drugs or industrial chemicals in a business lab, we offer safes that are secure and easy to use.

Computer data. Check with your IT department. How often do they back up your data and where is it stored? The safest place for major back-ups may be off-site. But even the daily data should be preserved in a safe that is secure from fire and theft.

Major cash, securities and valuables. Similar to the large photo above, these provide maximum protection against fire and theft.

Also available… safes that are hidden in walls, floors, and built into other objects. You tell us the threat, and we’ll show you how to guard against it.