Why Fireproof?

I've recently become very concerned with the issue of fireproofing, as some personal experiences have led me to realize the importance and value of protecting important information from fire and other natural disasters.

I have some close friends whose house recently burned down.  The husband was self employed and worked out of the home, all his important business documents, including tax information, payroll, etc. were stored in the house both in paper form and some on his computer.  He had even backed up his computer data so he wasn't at all ignorant as to the importance of these documents and storing it properly.

Of course, when the unexpected happened and the house fire struck all information was lost.  The paper documents, the computer information and even the backups.  This catastrophic event was disastrous for his family of course, but also for his business.

From this experience I've become an extreme advocate for fireproof safes and other important security measures that individuals, families and businesses should be taking when it comes to critical documents and precious memories.  Not only did my friend lose business information and of course all their personal belongings, but in addition his families photos and other small valuables and sentimental items were destroyed in the fire.

Fire wreaks havoc, and it can never be anticipated, in fact no one expects fire to happen to them.  Making a choice to be proactive about the possibility of fire and other natural disasters (perhaps flood? or earthquake damage?) is a wise move, and one that I'm now encouraging all my friends and family to make!

The most simple option is a fireproof safe.  Other logical choices include storing backups in separate physical locations from the originals.  Safety deposit boxes would be another wise move.

I intend to use this blog to publish my findings and opinions about fireproof safes and other fireproof methods.  Hope you stay tuned as I update regularly!