LOOKING TO BUY A SAFE FOR YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS?

If you are looking into purchasing a safe, you might be surprised at the variety of options available. There is a wide variety of safes, so to help you start;

First consider what you plan to put in your safe. Are you looking to store documents, jewelry, cash, electronics or other items? Knowing what you will be storing in your safe will make your purchasing decision an easier one.

Once you clarify what you will be using your safe to protect, you then need to determine how large of a safe you need.  One easy way to determine the size needed is to take all of the items you believe you want to store in the safe, and put them into a cardboard box.  This gives you a starting point.  Generally you will want a safe double the size of the box. Having a safe at home causes you to consider adding many other items into the safe.  Two times the original estimate is what generally works the best.

Safes are used for primarily two reasons. 1. To protect your items from theft and 2. to protect your items from fire. You can get safes that offer protection from one or the other or both. Based on what you are storing a professional safe dealer can help you determine what type will suit your needs.

Another factor you will need to consider when choosing a safe is the type of locking mechanism. Mechanical combination locks or key locks are giving way to easier to use electronic locks.  Electronic locks are generally battery powered, and the batteries can be replaced with the safe in the locked position.  Biometric safe locks require the use of a finger print, or a fingerprint and a combination.  Networked safe locks allow for the remote control of safes and can be wired or wireless.

Different types of safes include:

• Wall Safes. These safes are actually built into your wall and rely on being concealed for protection.  They are generally narrow so that they can fit between the studs in your wall. They can easily be concealed by a wall painting, a bookshelf or with a built in sliding panel.
• Floor Safes. These safes are also built into your home and are either cemented into a concrete floor, for example, or built into your floor board. Like wall safes they are also narrow so that they can fit in between your floor joists, making them difficult for burglars to remove. They can be hidden under a carpet, piece of furniture or concealed within the floor.
• Free Standing Safe. Free standing safes are the easiest to use and are ideal if you will be using the safe on a daily basis.  They also have the most variety of sizes and types.  They can be fire resistant or burglary resistant or both.  Free standing safes should generally be attached to the building by being bolted to the floor or wall.   This increases the security and can increase the fire protection as well.
• Laptop Safes. A more recent type of safe is the laptop or hand gun safe.  Since laptops are easy to take, and can contain valuable and often irreplaceable content, having a safe should be a consideration.  A common laptop safe allows for attaching it to a shelf, wall or desk.  Hard drives and other small computer equipment like flash drives are often stored in these safes. This is also the type of safe that can be used for storing handguns in a home or office.  They are small, convenient to get to and offer protection from a quick theft.
• Fireproof files.  If the primary need you have is for paperwork or you have a large volume of documentsm, a high quality fireproof file may be the best solution.  They offer a maximum amount of storage space for the cost, and offer a UL fire rated storage solution.  Be sure that you get a file with a high security Medeco lock and keys.
• Deposit safes.  Generally used in businesses that need to have a way to allow multiple people to deposit money into a safe quickly, deposit safes are generally designed for short term storage of cash.  They come in a wide variety of sizes and configurations.  If there are specific needs with deposit safe, they can be custom configured to your specific needs.

The best and most cost effective solution for home or business safe storage is often a combination of security containers.  For example a small laptop or handgun safe and a medium size fire and burglary safe for a home allow you to purchase just the security your need.  For a business a fireproof file for paperwork and a smaller burglary safe can be the optimum solution.  A visit with a professional safe dealer will help your make decisions and can save you time and money.

If you are local please come and visit our beautiful showroom and check out our large selection of safes or for some question feel free to call us at 619-234-4829.

We are located at 939 University Ave., San Diego, CA 92103.

Create Safety Zones Around Your Home or Building.

Begin with a 30-foot safety zone around any structure.
Keep the volume of vegetation in this zone to a minimum. Clear further to the east as this is the direction the strongests Santa Ana winds come from. If you live on a hill, extend the zone on the downhill side. Fire spreads rapidly uphill.

In this 30 foot zone, you should also do the following:

Move shrubs and other landscaping away from the sides of the house.
Prune branches and shrubs within 15 feet of chimneys and roof.
Do not trim trees or bushes as to create a fire “funnel” toward your house. Some bushes and low branches on trees 30 feet from a building can work to slow the wind near your house, and this reduction in wind speed will greatly reduce chance of flying embers starting a fire
Replace highly flammable vegetation such as pine, junipers and fir trees with lower growing, less flammable species.

Create a second zone of at least 100 feet around the house.
This zone should begin about 30 feet from the house and extend to at least 100 feet. In this zone, reduce or replace as much of the most flammable vegetation as possible. Fan Palm trees on the eastern side of a house can be problematic, as they catch fire easily in a Santa Ana wind/fire conditions and create wind borne fire balls.

Remember – clear all combustibles within 30 feet of any structure.

Ask the power company to clear branches from power lines.
Stack firewood 100 feet away and uphill from any structure.
Store combustible or flammable materials in approved safety containers and keep them away from the house.
Keep the gas grill and propane tank at least 15 feet from any structure. Always use the grill cautiously but refrain from using it all during high risk times.

Protect Your Home

Clear leaves, trash and other combustible materials away from underneath decks and porches.
Enclose all eaves to reduce the ability for an ember to start a fire. This is one of the simplest things you can do to make your home less likely to catch fire from an ember.
A San Diego Based company that does this very well is Best Rate Repair.
Cover all openings and vents with 1/4 inch or smaller corrosion-resistant wire mesh.

Use fire resistant materials in the siding of your home, such as stucco, metal, brick, cement shingles, concrete and rock.
Install non-combustible awnings to shield windows and use shatter-resistant glazing such as tempered glass.

Have and use a fire safe. Since you don’t know when a fire may start, store important keepsakes, papers and documents in a fire proof safe. A real fire safe has a testing label, such as UL, that will describe the length of time in fire protection it may provide. In Southern California a home should have AT LEAST a 1 hour, 1200 degree rated safe. An ideal safe would be rated for 90 minutes or more. Home fires that are fully involved can burn up to 2,000 degrees. A safe professional can help you select a safe that will work well for both burglary and fire protection. Visit or call the folks at Grah for more information.

If there is a fire:

Gather those items you will need to evacuate and have them ready to go. Insurance papers, prescriptions, phone numbers, cell phones, photo albums, etc. Remember most of your stuff is just that, stuff, and can be replaced. Take only those items you need or that can not be replaced easily.

If you are evacuating, leave early and have a destination in mind before you get in a vehicle. Do not panic, use common sense and be part of the fire solution, not the problem.

1. Determine what exactly you would like to store in the safe
2. Learn about fire ratings and what you may need based on your house design and location
3. Determine where you would like to install the safe
4. Will your floor support the weight of the safe?
5. Do you need different kinds of protection such as paper, or money?
6. Do you need the security of a burglary rated safe?
7. Do you have special needs for storage, such as guns or digital media?
8. Who should have access to your safe?
9. Will you need a delivery service and installation?
10. Is a Fire Proof File more appropriate for your needs?

Contact a safe profession to help with your specific needs as there are many things sold as fire protection that are not up to the task.