Please, NOT firePROOF...
Hi-
Just to make sure the proper terminology is used here, these should be referred to as fireRESISTANT cabinets, not firePROOF. You won't find any vendor willing to warranty their products as truly fireproof unless they are a custom built, fixed position vault using a fire suppression system.
One of the best sources for information on this subject is NFPA 232-2000, the "Standard For The Protection of Records", available from
www.nfpa.org .
For further information regarding cabinets or mobile safes, I'd recommend becoming familiar with the standard pertaining to this type of equipment, UL72 from Underwriter's Laboratories and it's titled "Standard for Tests of Fire Resistance of Records Protection Equipment", available from
www.ul.com .
A couple of other comments related to statements or suggestions made by others in this thread. Storing your mission critical, vital or other records required for business continuity in a bank vault is not a preferred method. While the likelihood that the bank would be involved in a fire is limited, bank vaults (and the majority of "vaults" used by commercial storage companies) are made of reinforced concrete. For those who aren't aware of this, concrete is a POROUS material... and when a structure containing a concrete "vault" is involved in a fire, the fire fighters will be pouring water onto the facility. As the concrete heats from the fire and is struck by water, steam will form and penetrate the concrete, resulting in a deterioration of the concrete AND creating a sauna effect in the interior of the enclosure from the steam being generated. While this typically won't damage EVERYTHING in the "vault", it WILL damage anything with water based ink and it will result in an increase in humidity and heat that will typically render electronic media useless. There is no assurance that the heat won't rise above 350 degrees, the point at which paper combusts either.
Another correct comment made by one poster was the best method of protection is planned dispersal of the critical materials, that is, keeping a second copy at a remote location. This is one of the key components of a sound Vital Record Protection Program, something that's discussed in detail in Standard ANSI/ARMA5-2003, "Vital Records: Identifying, Managing and Recovering Business-Critical Records", which is available from
www.arma.org . It's still advisable to keep these materials in a container that provides additional protection against the elements (dust, moisture, heat, light) but noting beats distance. The recommended distance from the primary location of the business is outside of a 40 mile radius, and the location should be reviewed for other hazards, such as what the adjacent businesses do, the location of underground pipelines, proximity to railroad tracks, freeways, and other sources of potential hazards. You may also want to inquire where the facility is in respect to the 100 year flood plain, and the closest fire station.
These are all factors to consider if you're thinking about using a using a commercial storage provider (I believe someone mentioned Iron Mountain?) because many times, these firms are located in industrial parks, and they house CONSIDERABLE amounts of combustible materials that your vital records will be mixed in with. Not exactly a "best case scenario".
If you're still interested in evaluating fire resistant cabinets and or safes for storage of your vital records and/or media, I'd suggest checking into SCHWAB, as they have some of the finest quality equipment available for the business community. I no longer have any affiliation to them, but I once was an authorized distributor of their equipment
www.schwabcorp.com .
And if you want to "go the extra mile" and consider the construction of a TRUE FIRE SAFE of whatever dimensions meet your business needs, wherever you are located in the world, I'd give strong consideration to evaluating the work of this company
www.firelock.com . Their modular custom vaults are second to none, and there is no concern of steam penetration into these... they are what can TRULY be referred to as a VAULT.
Just for a bit of information, I'm Larry Medina... a 32 year Professional Records and Information Manager, 23 year member of ARMA International and a member of their Standards Development Committee and a Chapter President, a member of the NFPA232 Standards Committee and a former project manager of the ARMA Vital Records Standard Task Force. For 10 years, I was a private consultant specializing in the development of vital records and business continuity programs, primarily on the West Coast of the US.
Larry
