Camera Gears In A Fire Retardant Safe

[green_photog]

<p>Does anyone put their camera gears in a fire retardant safe? I was hoping to get one so in case of fire the gear can survive inside the safe. However, I'm not sure if the temperature increase inside the safe during the fire will hurt the plastic/metalic lenses and cameras.</p>

[mjc photographic images]

<p>Depends on the safe, and the fire rating (time). Some safes internal temp can hold 55 c, 131 f. and some get as hot as 177c, 351 f, these would be tested in a constantly heated environment in excess of 1,000 c for around 30 minutes. Most safes go with a 30 - 60 minute fire rating, others are 120 minute rated and waterproof. </p>

<p>The same with most things I guess, the more you spend the better the quality.</p>

<p>HTH<br>

Jim</p>

[jaydesi]

<p>Is your risk of fire that great that you need such a safe? They are very large, and heavy...I have a small one for valuables and important documents, it's less than 2' x 2' x 2', with a much smaller internal capacity, and it weighs about 100 lbs. If you have even a moderate amount of gear, you'll need something much larger.</p>

<p>Something else to note: safes are usually designed to fall through the floor when it's burned and unable to support the safe's weight to get them below the flames. If you have a safe on anything but the lowest floor (or an upper level, concrete floor), the shock of the fall may cause serious damage to your gear even if the heat doesn't.</p>

<p>It may be more reasonable to check your insurance policy to see if it will cover gear damaged by a fire, and if not, get a rider for it. While that won't protect your gear from harm, it will replace the gear should damage occur. And it will likely cover a larger range of circumstances than just fire.</p>

[Marcus Ian]

<p>I probably wouldn't bother. Your homeowners/renters/business (if applicable) insurance is designed to cover just these types of losses, and, depending on the circumstances, having the gear semi-protected (which is all a transportable fire safe is going to do anyway - though, as JC pointed out, just how protected depends on the safe), may put it into an ambiguous area as far as reimbursement goes.</p>

<p>For example, I can claim a half melted smoke covered lens without any difficulty (duh!), but that same lens who went through the fire in a safe, and now who's only functional flaw is an intermittent electrical communication error (and is a single $2500 line item BTW) because the heat cooked it's control circuits is going to be something I would have to fight for - a bag full of equipment (which could easily be $10->15k) with the same kind of 'ambiguous' damage is something that they may easily delay your claim over. Considering the marginal amount of protection (for electronic gear) that these safes offer, in such a case, the safe could easily do more 'harm' than good.</p>

<p>The bottom line is that most of the readily available safes are designed to protect things like papers, and small valuables and personal possesions, aka things that often have little intrinsic value, but are utterly irreplaceable (plus, they aren't usually to sensitive to mild temp. changes - unlike consumer electronics).</p>

<p>A far more productive use of your time, would be to have a discussion w/ your insurance agent, and make sure that your gear is covered (especially as it gets into the gray area of business/personal property, and approached cap amounts), and they have a complete list of what you own to make reimbursement simple and easy - and fast! </p>

[Marcus Ian]

<p>I should say, that a safe for your backup drives, and memory storage IS a much better idea... especially as that imagery is irreplaceable (and CF cards, and other drives are usually much less sensitive to heat alone).</p>

[green_photog]

<p>Thanks for pointing out the errors in my thinking, no safe then.</p>

[alan_bryant1]

<p>Look for a "media safe" as opposed to a fire safe. Normal fire safes protect paper; media safes are designed to protect computer disks and hardware.</p>

<p>Getting one large enough to hold a significant amount of camera gear will probably be fairly expensive. And expect it to be heavy. But they do exist.</p>

 

[peter_e]

<p>Could create some mold issues on your lenses--I'm speaking from experience.</p>

[Lou_Meluso]

<p>I have a large one, about 5 ft tall, very deep and wide. It was used in a bank in the 1940's. Meant to keep cash and other valuables safe in case of fire. Very thick walls, very secure, VERY heavy! You need a fork lift to move it. Oddly, not that expensive to buy, about $300 at a storage unit sale, but to have a locksmith reset the combo and hire a truck and guys to move it added to the cost. Holds a ton of gear (mostly valuable classics), hard drives and other important stuff. I actually don't put my EOS gear in there because I use it regularly. Too much trouble fiddling with a safe every time I want to grab a camera and go. </p>

[mark_ethridge]

<p>I keep my gear in a firesafe, but I do it to prevent theft (and my kids from playing with it) not fire damage. There are so many variables when it comes to house fires, it's nearly impossible to tell if your gear would survive in a safe. Of course, it stands a much better chance in a safe than on the closet shelf.</p>

[Charles_Webster]

<p>Four words: Insurance and off-site backups.</p>

<p>I rely on insurance to protect the value of my equipment (no irreplacable classics here) and I have a backup drive stored at a friend's house that is never more than a week old.</p>

<p>My gear lives in foam padded storage drawers in the gear closet of my studio when it's not in use.</p>

<p> </p>

[frank_skomial]

<p>In real house fire, high temperature will hold on for much longer time than the tested time for fire proof or media vaults.</p>

<p>Fire proof safes could possibly prevent your paper documents from catching fire, but there is no safe to protect your temperature sensitive electronic devices.</p>