Home Gun Safes and Fire Protection

According to statistics recently released by the National Fire Protection Association, the average rate of residential fires occuring across the United States is one in every 83 seconds. This amounts to a total of 380000 residential fires a year, accounting for  property losses of around $4,400,000,000. At an average loss of just under $116000 per fire, these statistics really drive home the potential risk and the need for adequate protection through guns safes!Many homes use quality guns safes to protect valuables, as well as firearms, against fire. However, as there are no standards regulating fire tests and ratings for gun safes, facilities and methods used for testing and standards applied vary from one manufacturer to the next, making it almost impossible to compare fire protection between products. One thing they all have in common is that none of them are fireproof. All of them will incur heat and/ or fire damage if guns safes are exposed to extreme heat for an extended period.  James Scousen, Marketing Director of the Liberty Safe company and gun safe expert, explained that in a typical house fire, temperatures as high as 1,200 F can be reached within less than 10 minutes. The estimated average of time it takes to contain a fire is between 15 and 30 minutes. For maximum protection, guns safes should be tested to these standards. However, rating tests often take much longer than the typical 10 minutes to build up to the peak temperatures, allowing claims of longer times of fire protection by manufacturers and misleading customers into expecting actual fire resistance.Considering that paper will begin to char at around 405 F, while guns will be damaged by temperatures above 500 F, the fire resistance of guns safes should be enough for the maximum temperature inside it to be kept under 350 F from the bottom right up to the top while being exposed to an external temperature of 1200 F for a period of 30 minutes. The best way to ensure you really do get the best possible fire protection for your valuables is to ask specific questions before making a purchase - and to insist on specific answers. Enquire about the depth and  amount of fireboard layers enclosed in the roof, walls and door, as well as in the doorjambs -  larger depth and quantity ensure better protection. The thickness of the steel used is also an important factor, as is a good quality, effective heat seal surrounding the door. It is worth bearing in mind that some seals tend to degrade at very high temperatures, reducing actual fire protection significantly. Asking these questions about as many different types and models of guns safes as possible may seem like a huge effort, but is absolutely necessary if you wish to protect the valuables in your home in the best possible way, as it allows you to compare the real facts of your various findings and make an informed decision for your purchase, rather than having to take a guess based on possibly misleading information.