When we hear the words Home Security most of us will immediately think of burglaries and theft of property, but home security encompasses more that protecting our homes and valuables from thieves. It is also about protecting our most important and sensitive documents from loss or damage caused by a house fire. You wouldn’t want to lose documents relating to your house or car, precious irreplaceable photographs or even your birth certificate or passport – they can be hard to replace, if at all, and not having important documents can create all sorts of problems and make things a lot harder to sort out when something does go wrong. To protect those important bits of paper you need a fireproof box and the Burg-Wächter FP22K Fireproof A4 Document Box is fantastic.
If the unthinkable does happen and there is a fire within your home, you want those precious and even valuable documents protected as best you can. For the most important and sentimental photos and paperwork, it is probably best to have them locked away in a bank safety deposit box, but that is not always the most practical solution – who wants to go to the bank every time they need their passport? Plus that comes with a reoccurring cost that most of us could do without (if your local bank offers this service, you are looking at a minimum cost of around £200 per year for a small box). The next best thing is locking those important documents, photos and even digital media (USB sticks) up in a fireproof safe or document box. A fireproof document box will keep those valuable documents under lock and key, out of the way of prying eyes and sticky fingers and, most importantly, will protect them from damage in the case of a house fire.
The Burg-Wächter FP22K Fireproof A4 Document Box is a lockable fireproof box capable of holding A4 documents (without binders/folders, just A4 sheets). This fireproof box can resist temperatures of up to 1093 degrees Celsius (approx. 2000 degrees Fahrenheit) for approximately 30 minutes, protecting the contents from burning or heat damage. It has a handy carry handle for easy manoeuvrability (it weighs approx. 9kg before adding anything into it) and for added security it can be fixed to the floor.
Burg-Wächter is Europe’s largest internationally leading manufacturer of locks, entry controls, window protection, safes and secure letter boxes, all designed to keep your valuables and home protected. They offer a wide range of security products including an A4 fireproof document box.
Features:
- 30 minutes fire resistance up to 1093°C (approx. 2000°F)
- The box will fit up to A4 sized documents for safe keeping
- Double walled construction for protection from removal and fire
- Prepared for ground anchoring for screws up to a maximum of 6mm
- Includes 2 keys
- Capacity: 5.6 litres
We all know that fires can generate enormous amounts of heat, a typical house fire can reach temperatures of between 800°C (1500°F) and 1093°C (2000°F). Therefore, if you have valuable documents (monetary or sentimental) in your house, and we all have them, a small investment in a fireproof box to help protect them is an excellent idea. It is probably something that you have never ever thought of purchasing before, I know I never have. Hopefully it is something that you will never need to put to the test, but it is a good investment for those important documents such as house deeds, your last will and testament, identity documents such as birth certificate or passport, insurance paperwork etc. If the worst did happen, buildings can be repaired, house contents can be replaced but valuable documents are a lot harder to sort out and precious memories such as photographs might be lost forever, so doing what you can to protect them is a must when considering your home protection options.
The Burg-Wächter FP22K Fireproof A4 Document Box is a certified UL 72 Class 350 fireproof box, and most of us will have no idea what that means. In short, it means that it has been tested by the Underwriters Laboratory of America (UL for short) and is guaranteed to protect paper documents within it for up to 30 minutes (the paper won’t burn or suffer any heat damage).
The fireproof document box has an external measurement of 15.5x28x41cm (HxWxD), with an internal measurement of 8.5×22.5×31.5cm (HxWxD). It has a 5.6 litre capacity and weighs approx. 9kg, featuring a portable briefcase design with a carry handle for easy movability (it’s light enough to move around and pick up to open but quite heavy if carrying for any length of time). Do you need added security and don’t want it to moved or carried away? Well, it can be fixed to the floor as it is part-prepared for floor fixing. This means that you will have to drill through the rest of the way (fixings bolts/screws are not included) – it is part drilled because it maintains the fire resistance when it isn’t anchored in place on the floor but gives you the option to do so. It is a lockable secure box and has 2 keys supplied. Constructed from double-walled toughed plastic fireproof polymer to keep the contents safe.
Overall, the Burg-Wächter FP22K Fireproof A4 Document Box is a solidly constructed fire resistant box. It looks and feels solid and strong whilst being heavier than I excepted. But it does have a very thick construction, which is reassuring as it must keep fire and extreme heat at bay for at least 30 minutes. It is roughly A4 size inside, storing A4 sized papers without any folders (although the paper does curl up very slightly in each corner if not folded).
As adults, we all have various bits of paperwork that we must keep safe: house deeds, passports, birth certificates and insurance paperwork for example. If we were to lose them in a fire it would make life very hard trying to replace them, prove identity or even make insurance claims, so protecting them in a heavy fireproof document box is a great way to do so.
The Burg-Wächter FP22K Fireproof A4 Document Box is a fire resistant document box, it is not a safe. Whilst it keeps documents safe from fire and heat damage for up to 30 minutes it would not stop a very determined thief from breaking the lock and gaining entry. It is not designed to be a safe in that sense, but a safe box to protect important documents from the ravages of fire. Therefore, you wouldn’t store very expensive items like jewellery within it (well you can, but they might not be covered by your insurance), if you need an insurance rated certified fire safe, Burg-Wächter have a range of suitable fireproof safes.
This is a heavily constructed, double-walled fire resistant document box, and at 9kg (when empty) it is quite heavy. Not too heavy to move around or to lift up onto a table to open, at least for most people anyway, but it can get quite heavy if carrying for longer periods of time. It does have a foldable carry handle that makes it easier.
If you are serious about your home security and protecting your home and contents from different kinds of threats, then you really should invest in a fireproof document box. I think that the Burg-Wächter FP22K Fireproof A4 Document Box is a solidly constructed box with double-walled fire and heat resistance at high temperatures. Burg-Wächter are experts in their field, having over 120 years experience in security so you can rest assured that the document box will keep your important paperwork protected and safe for at least 30 minutes.
I haven’t set fire to the house or the box to test the fireproof claims, that would be completely irresponsible. I can rest assured that it has been tested by experts at UL and has been given a fire certificate of UL 72 Class 350, which gives it 30 minutes fire resistance protection in temperatures up to 1093°C (approx. 2000°F) – so I am extremely confident that it will protect its contents in the event of a fire.
I think that this is an excellent quality, sturdy and strong fireproof document box. My only issue is that it is not 100% A4. The internals of the box have rounded corners and is very snug, so whilst an A4 sheet will fit, the corners do slightly curl up a bit. Its internal size could do with a centimetre bigger. Whilst it is a snug fit for an unfolded sheet of A4 paper, it does have quite a bit of space inside, enough for all those important documents and more.
We all have important documents that we would be lost without, and this fireproof box is perfect for storing them securely against fire. Investing in a fireproof document box is a smart decision, and you can’t go wrong with Burg-Wächter.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £70
For more information, visit uk.burg.biz. Available to buy from Amazon here.