What You Should Keep in a Fireproof Safe – And What You Shouldn’t

If you’ve read up on fire safety, you’ve likely taken precautions to keep your family safe and prepared — you’ve equipped your home with a smoke detector on every floor, established an emergency escape plan with your family, and invested time in teaching your children to call 911 in case of a fire emergency. You’ve taken the steps to protect your family — but have you fully protected your most valuable possessions?

In an instant, a household fire can destroy treasured items, documents, and a lifetime of memories. You can protect your valuable possessions by storing them appropriately. Today, many people opt for a fireproof safe, rather than paying to keep their belongings in a safety deposit box at the local bank.

The benefit to having a fireproof safe at home is that you can access original copies of crucial documents (like insurance papers and passports) immediately — not just during the bank’s business hours.

Additionally, valuables and cash stored in a safety deposit box aren’t always covered through FDIC insurance, while homeowners and renter’s insurance may cover items kept in a safe at home. 

If you have — or are considering buying — your own fireproof safe, it’s worth noting that these safes are best used for specific purposes. It’s important to learn which items should be kept in a fireproof safe for ultimate security; and which are best kept elsewhere.

What to Keep in Your Fireproof Safe

Standard fireproof safes protect your valuables against intense heat and smoke damage, for periods of up to 120 minutes. The best type of fireproof safe for you depends on the items you wish to store.

When deciding which fireproof safe to get, keep these points in mind:

Paper, passports, certificates, and documents require a safe capable of withstanding 350 degrees F or more.

Digital media — such as memory sticks, USBS, CDs and DVDs — require a safe that can withstand 238 degrees F or more.

Data such as computer backups, internal hard drives, and tapes are the most vulnerable; these require a safe that may withstand temperatures of 150 degrees F or more.

If you’ll be storing a combination of items from all three categories listed above, opt for a more resistant safe to encompass all of the requirements. Here are the most recommended items to store in a fireproof safe:

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