FireSafe.com is a complete fire and safety directory created in 1994 for education and research purposes.
Every 19 seconds,
a fire department responded to a fire somewhere in the United States.
Public fire departments responded to 1,687,500 fires. These include
519,000 structure fires.
In 2002, there were 3,380 civilian fire deaths. This is a decrease of
9.8% from a year ago, excluding the events of 9/11/01. Nationwide, there
was a civilian fire death every 156 minutes.
In 2002, home fires caused 2,670 or 79% of civilian fire deaths. This
is a 14.1% decrease, making it the lowest home fire death total since
NFPA´s fire experience current survey methodology started in 1977.
Nationwide, there was a civilian fire injury every 28 minutes. There
were an estimated 18,425 civilian fire injuries, of which 13,650 occurred
in homes.
Only one-fifth of the home fire deaths from 1989-1998 were caused by
fires in which a smoke alarm was present and operated.
Most fatal fires kill one or two people. In 2002, 15 home fires killed
five or more people. These 15 fires resulted in 90 deaths (87 civilians
and 3 firefighters).
In 2002, U.S. fire departments responded to more than 1,000 home fires
a day.
2. Are all products
that are "tested to UL standards" really fireproof?
Not all products
that are tested by UL are actually fireproof. Many manufacturers of
"Fireproof" equipment advertise that they are "UL tested." However,
being UL tested and actually passing the test are two very different
labels. It is very important to distinguish between these fireproof
products. All 'fireproof' products on the K.L. Security Website have
all passed the UL Tests for their appropriate temperature and time
ratings.
3. What should
I look for to determine if the fireproof product I am purchasing actually
passed the UL tests?
In order to
determine whether a fireproof safe or fireproof filing cabinet is
"UL tested" or actually classified by UL as passing the UL 72 fireproof
tests you need to check the label. If the product just says "UL tested"
it most likely did not pass the test. If the product did pass you
will see one of the following labels:
#1 Label Style
Record Protection Equipment
Classified By
Underwriters Laboratories, Inc
As To Fire Resistance
Rating: Class_______-____Hr
#2 Label Style Record Protection Equipment
Classified By
Underwriters Laboratories, Inc
As To Fire and Impact Resistance
Rating: Class_______-____Hr
#3 Label Style Record Protection Equipment
Classified By
Underwriters Laboratories, Inc
As To Fire Resistance
Rating: Classes_______and______-____Hr
See Marking Inside Unit For Class Ratings
Applicable To Individual Compartments
#4 Label Style Record Protection Equipment
Classified By
Underwriters Laboratories, Inc
As To Fire and Impact Resistance
Rating: Classes_______and______-____Hr
See Marking Inside Unit For Class Ratings
Applicable To Individual Compartments
4. Are all fireproof
files impact tested?
No, not all
fireproof filing cabinets or fireproof safes are impact tested. In
order to be listed as a fireproof file cabinet the protection unit
the equipment must pass the UL fire and impact test as part of the
UL 72 testing standards. To simulate the fall that a fireproof cabinet
or fireproof safe may incur during the collapse of a floor in a structural
fire, the product is heated to between 1460°F and 1700°F removed from
the furnace and hoisted 30 feet off the ground. UL then drops the
product within two minutes into a pile of broken brick on a concrete
base. This is equivalent to a fall form a third story.
5. To what temperature
are fireproof safes, fireproof filing cabinets and fireproof media cabinets
tested by UL?
There are different
time periods for fireproof testing depending on the UL rating that
the product is attempting to reach. The most common ratings are for
½ hour, 1 hour, 2 hour, 3 hour, and 4 hour. As the time goes up so
does the temperature to which the product is heated. For ½ hour the
product is heated to 1550°F, for 1 hour 1700°F, 2 hours 1850°F, 3
hours 1920°F, and 2000°F for products rated 4 hours. Once the product
reaches the set time and temperature the furnace is turned off. The
test product must then cool in the unopened furnace until there is
a significant decrease in the internal temperature of the product.
This cooling period can take as long as 68 hours and is the point
at which most products fail the test due to the fact that the interior
of the product continues to rise in the unopened furnace.
6. Why are there
350°F and 125°F class for fireproof filing cabinets and other fireproof
products?
The 350°F and
125° refer to the temperature that the interior of the product is
allowed to reach during a fire. Not all products break down at the
same temperature during a fire. Paper products will burn when the
interior of the safe or filing cabinet reaches 400°F. Media on the
other hand is much more susceptible to heat. Most forms of media are
useless after they surpass the 125°F point. So make sure that you
check the UL label on the product to make sure that it is properly
rated for the types of contents that you are going to store.
7. Do I have
to buy fireproof products to become HIPAA Compliant?
The HIPAA,
or Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, sets standards
for the storage and security of PHI (protected health information)
by health care organizations and their entities. The mandate sets
strict guidelines on how Personal Health Information is to be stored
and shared. The mandate does not give specific rules on how to become
compliant it simply tells healthcare organizations that they need
to take appropriate administrative, technical, and physical security
measures to protect the personal information of the people. The purpose
of these standards is to protect a covered entity's computer systems
and related buildings and equipment from fire and other natural hazards,
as well as unauthorized intrusion. A fireproof security solution from
K.L. Security Enterprises will help move you entity toward compliance
with the HIPAA regulations. Each covered entity is required to address
the following physical safeguard standards that concern the physical
protection of data systems and data from intrusion and from environmental
or natural hazards.
· Facility Access Controls
· Workstation Use
· Workstation Security
· Device and Media Controls
8. Do I really
need a home security safe?
In the U.S.
in the year 2000 there were nearly 1.4 million residential burglaries.
That is an astounding burglary every 23 seconds. The estimated direct
property loss from those burglaries was $1.9 Billion dollars with
an average per occurrence of nearly $1,400.00. A quality home security
safe can drastically reduce the chance of you losing your valuables.
9. Why should
I buy a fireproof safe?
Depending on
what you intend to store in your safe or cabinet you may want to purchase
a fireproof safe or filing cabinet. If you are going to store any
paper products, computer discs, microfilm or any other form of media
you want to make sure the safe is fireproof. The UL rating on the
safe needs to be at least 350°F for paper and 125°F for all types
of media.
10. What are
the chances that my security safe will be in a fire?
Many people
understand the need to protect their valuables in a security safe.
What people do not realize sometimes is that the risk of fire is also
a major danger. In the U.S. in 2001 there were nearly 400,000 residential
structural fires. The average fire occurs every 80 seconds, with an
average total loss of over $14,000.00 per occurrence; the property
loss for the year 2001 was over $5.6 Billion.
11. Why do I
need my fireproof filing cabinet or safe to be waterproof, I don't live
in a flood area?
When there
is a fire there is usually going to be water. The average overhead
sprinkler system releases 25-35 gallons of water per minute and fire
hoses are anywhere from 100-250 gallons per minute. With numbers water
is often the primary cause for document loss. Whether you sprinkler
system or the firefighters save your residence or business it is very
important for your fireproof safe and fireproof filing cabinets to
be waterproof.
12. What is a
Media Cooler?
A media Cooler
is a great addition to any fireproof filing cabinet. When used in
conjunction with any 350°F -1hr UL rated filing cabinet or safe it
is certified to 125°F making it safe for all types of computer media.
The compact design is also theft resistant and fits right inside your
existing fireproof filing cabinet.
13. Is 1700°F
a high enough testing temperature?
Yes! The average
business fire in the United States burns at approximately 800°F for
20 minutes. Fireproof safes and fireproof filing cabinets are UL tested
to withstand a temperature of 1700°F for an entire hour.
Fire Ratings - Click a link below