It's 3:30 in the morning and your security company is calling. At best, it's a false alarm. At worst, the business you carefully built has gone up in flames. It's estimated that only 30% of small businesses have a disaster recovery plan in place, leaving roughly 70% of companies unprotected. A devastating event can be a setback that takes years to overcome and any head-start on rebuilding is invaluable in the critical months that follow.
You may think that a traditional file cabinet, made of steel or aluminum, may be able to withstand a fire without melting. In reality, they become small incinerators, creating high-temperature environments that easily exceed the ignition point of paper and other materials. Adding fireproof and impact-resistant file cabinets to your existing storage is integral to comprehensive and effective disaster preparedness.
Is It Worth It?
The cost of fireproof cabinets is due, in part, to expert construction and materials, including baked gypsum insulation, galvanized welded-steel wiring, and reinforced steel walls. Both FireKing® and DuraVault cabinets undergo rigorous testing that meets or exceeds industry-set ratings and feature a lifetime warranty, ensuring years of reassured safety for your business.
If you're considering a fireproof cabinet but aren't sure if it's worth the cost, ask yourself this:
- What's the cost, labor, and time necessary to replace my important documents or records?
- Can my most sensitive belongings even be replaced?
- Is it worth having my affairs in order so that I can quickly rebuild and get back to business?
What Are You Protecting?
In a perfect world, we would roll our whole office into a fireproof storage cabinet. Instead, it's important to choose the most irreplaceable, valuable, and detrimental items for safekeeping. In your office, are you most concerned with storing:
• Cash & Currency • Electronics & Backups
• Documents & Records • Chemicals & Medical Specimens
• Physical Valuables • Titles & Deeds
What to Look for in Fireproof Cabinets
FireKing and DuraVault cabinets are crafted with an impressive variety of features and benefits that can customize your cabinet to meet your business' individual needs. Consider your industry and environment, as well as possible disasters, while making purchasing decisions:
- Chemical, industrial, and manufacturing facilities have a higher risk of explosions and high-temperature fires, requiring units with longer duration and higher temperature ratings
- Technologically-focused companies may have more hard drives and electronic media, which necessitate ETL Electronic Media ratings
- Accountants, investors, and insurance agents need larger storage for a high volume of client records that require years of on-site maintenance
- Cash-only industries may benefit from added security, such as a safe hidden behind the façade of an innocent file cabinet
Features, Benefits, and Ratings
Underwriter Laboratories® (UL®), ISO, hour ratings and more-- navigating the industry jargon can be difficult, but adequate ratings are a necessity. FireKing and DuraVault cabinets have been tested against these certification standards with various cabinets sporting various ratings, depending on their intent.
- UL® X Hour Fire Ratings:
- 1/2 Hour Fire Rating - Maintains an interior temperature below 350°F when exposed to a fire for 1/2 hour at 1550°F
- 1 Hour Fire Rating - Maintains an interior temperature below 350°F when exposed to a fire for 1 hour at 1700°F
- ½ Hour Fire Rating - Maintains an interior temperature below 350°F when exposed to a fire for 2 hours at 1850°F
- UL® X Hour Media Ratings:
- 1 Hour Media Rating - Maintains an interior temperature below 125°F when exposed to a fire for 1 hour at 1700°F with a humidity level below 80%
- 2 Hour Media Rating - Maintains an interior temperature below 125°F when exposed to a fire for 2 hours at 1850°F with a humidity level below 80%
- 3 Hour Media Rating - Maintains an interior temperature below 125°F when exposed to a fire for 3 hours at 1925°F with a humidity level below 80%
- UL® 30' Impact Rating:
- Immediately following the fire test, units are dropped 30' onto a riprap of brick and concrete, then inverted and reheated for 30 minutes at 1550°F or more
- UL® 2000° Explosion Hazard Rating:
- Withstands 30 minutes in an oven heated to 2000°F
- UL® High Security Keylock:
- Locks resist picking and drilling while keys cannot be duplicated by any entity other than FireKing
Prepare Yourself Today
Find your local NBF furniture specialist or contact our sales team at (877) 405-9042 to discuss which DuraVault or FireKing fireproof cabinet is the best fit for your business' needs.
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