Home Fire Safes: How Well Do They Work, And What Should You Look For When Buying?

The threat of wildfires is a reality for many property owners around the world. Although it's a horrifying thought, it's crucial to take proactive steps to minimize possible losses. Prevention is always wise. But even if you take steps to make your home more resistant to wildfires, there's no guarantee your home will be spared. A high-quality fire safe is a smart investment for homeowners in at-risk areas. In fact, you may consider investing in one even if you don't live in an area typically affected by wildfires.

This is one product you don't want to scrimp on; don't purchase one unless it's labeled with an Underwriters Laboratories (UL) certification. This badge tells you that the product has gone through rigorous laboratory testing and has passed muster.

However, UL certification has some nuances you should know about. Ratings include how many hours you can expect the safe's contents to remain unharmed and how high a temperature the safe can withstand for that amount of time. The interior of UL-rated safes shouldn't exceed 350 degrees Fahrenheit, since paper can smolder at 387 degrees. If you need to protect media like tapes or memory drives, these can suffer damage at temperatures as low as 125 degrees Fahrenheit; make sure to purchase a safe that's rated to protect these types of objects.

When UL tests fire safes, they are subjected to temperatures two to three times hotter than the average house fire. Most burning homes reach temperatures between 800 and 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit. In most cases, emergency workers can put out fires within 20 minutes. Yet this short time frame may not be feasible in a wildfire situation. When you install a safe in your house, opting for a longer protection time rating is a good idea.

What size fire safe do you need, and do you need more than one? This depends on what you need to protect. There are important things you should be keeping in your standard fire-proof safety box. However, if you work from home and have lots of paper documents, or if you own many valuable and sentimental items, you may need a larger safe or a greater quantity of them.

You should also check that your safe is capable of taking a fall; if a floor collapses and the safe drops to a lower level, you want to be sure that the impact won't compromise the level of protection. Products like the UL-Listed 2 Hour Fire Safe by American Security Safes can withstand a fall of up to 30 feet, the equivalent of a two-story drop.