Fireproof safes - fire-resistant safe - what you should know

Even in a digital age, where many records and documents are digitised
or stored, it is necessary to protect the most important documents from a fire
and the effects of fire. Cash, Bitcoin wallets, vaccination cards,
birth certificates or passports. Whatever you want to protect, in a fire-resistant safe
these valuables are protected during a fire.

But what should be considered when choosing a fire-resistant safe?

Fire-resistant safes differ fundamentally in their fire protection classes
and/or their security level. With fire protection, the main difference
is the duration of tested fire protection, between 30 and 180 minutes.
During this time an external temperature of 900-1000 degrees must be withstood and
the contents must not "burn" or be damaged.

Safes and fire protection are tested by various test institutes around the world.
In Europe the best known are VdS - the Verband für Schadensverhütung - and
ECBS - European Certification Body. In China testing is carried out by the CNC or, for example,
TÜV. The certificates and tests are similar and guarantee protection
and security for the product purchased. In addition, with "ordinary" untested safes
there is the further indication "filled with fire-protection insulation material to ISO 9001". This means that a
safe is filled with concrete or rock wool but its fire safety has not been tested.

Which lock variant should I choose for my safe with fire protection?

A key lock or an electronic lock?

The question keeps coming up: which is the right or better lock variant for a fire-resistant safe,
in order to be able to open it without obstacle after a fire?
Since a fire-resistant safe can be heavily deformed or damaged after a fire, however, and
an emergency opening through a security specialist firm could therefore be necessary, it is best to decide
based on personal preference. The most important thing is that the fire-resistant safe
is used in everyday life, to protect the most important things at all times.

Is my fire-resistant safe protected against fire-fighting water?

This question is fairly easy to answer, although you read many different
statements on the internet about it. In principle, fire-resistant safes have an all-round fire-expanding seal (Feuerwalz),
that acts like a sealing ring, expanding when exposed to heat. The safes are therefore in
most cases protected against fire-fighting water. However, this is not part of the fire-protection test
and so this aspect of safety is not tested.