SAFE

A 'safe' or a 'strongbox' is a secure lockable box used for securing valuable objects against theft or damage. A safe is usually a hollow cuboid or cylinder, with one face removable or hinged to form a door. The body and door may be cast from metal (such as steel) or formed out of plastic through blow molding.

Contents

History

Specifications

Fire-resistant safes

References

See also

History

In 1835, Charles and Jeremiah Chubb took out their first patent for a burglar-resisting safe, although it is possible that safes were made by the firm before this date as the company Chubb Safes began designing safes and locks in 1818.

Specifications

Specifications for safes include some or all of the following parameters:

★ Burglar-resistance

★ Fire-resistance

★ Environmental resistance (e.g. to water or dust)

★ Type of lock (e.g. combination, key, time lock, electronic locking)

★ Location (e.g. wall safe, floor safe)

★ Smart Safes as part of an Automated Cash Handling system
Opening a safe without access to the key or knowledge of the combination is known as safe-cracking. This is a popular theme in heist films.
A diversion safe or hidden safe is a safe that is made from an otherwise ordinary object such as a book, a candle, a can, or even a wall outlet plug. Valuables are placed in these hidden safes, which are themselves placed inconspicuously (for example, a book would be placed on a book shelf).
Fire resistant Record Protection Equipment consists of self-contained devices that incorporate insulated bodies, doors, drawers or lids, or non-rated multidrawer devices housing individually rated containers that contain one or more inner compartments for storage of records. These devices are intended to provide protection to one or more types of records as evidenced by the assigned Class rating or ratings; Class 350 for paper, Class 150 for magnetic computer tapes and photographic film and Class 125 for flexible disks.
These types of enclosures can be rated for periods of 1/2, 1, 2 and 4 hour durations.
In addition, these enclosures may be rated for their impact resistance.
Burglary resistant safes are rated as to their resistance to the type of tools to be used in their attack and also the duration of the attack.
The attack durations are for periods of 15 min., 30 min. and 60 min.
Safes can also contain hardware that automatically dispenses cash or validates bills as part of a Automated Cash Handling system. A number of companies offer safes with automated cash handling, including Alpha CMS (Cash Management Solutions) and De La Rue.

Fire-resistant safes

A fire resistant safe is a type of safe that is designed to withstand high level temperatures or actual fire. Fire resistant safes are usually rated by the amount of time they can withstand the extreme temperatures a fire produces (e.g. 30min at 350º). Models are typically available with one-, two-, and four-hour durations but models with lower and higher ratings can also be found.
Typical commercial fire resistant safes come in various models, ranging in size from that of a small storage box to filing cabinets or gun racks. Safes must pass a fire test and usually an impact test.

References

; Sources consulted

★ ''Locks, Safes, and Security: An International Police Reference'', published by Charles Thomas Publishers, Springfield, Illinois, United States. (2000) ISBN 0-398-07079-2.
; Endnotes

See also

★ Access control

★ Concealment device, an inconspicuous object used to hide things

★ Gun safe

★ Lock, a mechanical fastening device

★ Manual override, opening a safe without cracking it

★ Physical Security

★ Safe-cracking, opening a safe without the combination

★ Safe deposit box, a lightweight safe

★ Security

★ Strongroom, a bank vault