Fireproof safes

I've found the comments about fireproof safes interesting, but
perhaps there is another aspect that might be investigated by owners
or prospective purchasers.

When I worked for a major corporation's research department in
another life, we were all gifted with office-sized fireproof safes
for our lab notebooks and other valuable intellectual property.  One
of my colleagues, unhappy with yet another mandatory regulation from
an unseen Vice-President, decided to test the tightness of his safe.
He logically assumed that any fireproof safe would only be needed in
time of fire, and that if a fire occurred the ceiling sprinkler
system would be activated. Therefore, he tested the water-tightness
of his safe with a coffee cup full of water--and it all entered the
safe without even token resistance!

I don't know whether this "performance" characteristic is typical of
all fireproof safes, but it might be wise to inquire of the
manufacturer or to test this for yourself before storing sensitive
materials without additional protection.

Terry Conners, Ph.D.
Extension Specialist in Forest Products
Department of Forestry
202 Thomas Poe Cooper Building
University of Kentucky
Lexington, KY 40546-0073
859-257-2463
Fax: 859-323-1031


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 15:60
                  Distributed: Tuesday, March 5, 2002
                       Message Id: cdl-15-60-001
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