15 Important Items Worth Storing In A Fireproof Safe

Estimated reading time: 9 minutes

Last week, we met with our financial advisor to review our retirement plan and life insurance policies and got more than we bargained for.

There, we began talking about what documents we should keep in a fireproof safe at home.

Yes, it is another thing to consider as a renter, homeowner, and even handy for students, but it is worth every dollar.

The conversation went from ensuring that our life insurance policies were stored safely to the topic of items and valuables to stash away.

Finding A Fireproof Safe

When my father-in-law passed away last year, he had a fireproof safe in the home; however, there was nothing in it, and still in the original box.

I’m sure the idea was to store important valuables and documents inside, but the task was pushed aside due to health reasons, so it was never completed.

The next day, we had to hunt through garbage bags and drawers full of letters, documents, and paperwork that my mother-in-law had stored away over the years.

Her organizational skills were horrible, although at least she kept the stuff and didn’t throw it all out.

My father-in-law was no better, with piles of medical documents and other important information sitting in a box on the top of his dresser.

Locating Important Documents In Emergencies

Finally, we found both their Wills, the house and property information, and their vehicle ownership with banking information.

We thought we would be in big trouble if we hadn’t found this information, so we got lucky.

Since we ended up with all of the essential documents and valuables from their home at our home, we took the fireproof safe with us.

Inside it, you will find everything needed for my mother-in-law, who can no longer take care of her finances if they are called on.

We also have both of their jewelry stored in the fireproof safe after locating it in his bedroom at the bottom of a garbage bag, ready to be donated.

Unfortunately, Mrs. CBB’s mother lost her wedding ring to theft when she hosted a high school party that got out of hand, and the police had to get involved to close it down.

I’m not saying your child will do the same, but you never know who will come into your house or what will happen when you leave.

Even the best-mannered children have gotten into dangerous situations that their parents never dreamed their child would be a part of.

Choosing The Right Fireproof Safe

Our fireproof safe is tiny, so it doesn’t hold any of our essential documents and valuables, so we went shopping for one.

We learned that there are MANY types of fireproof and waterproof safes on the market; ideally, you’d want one with fire and water protection.

You can buy something small or go big to store everything, from keepsakes to valuables to your most important documents.

We want to find something with the longest fire endurance time that is fireproof, waterproof, and not too big.

Fireproof Safe Suggestions

Below are a few fireproof safe suggestions that I researched that you might be interested in.

The executive fire-safe seems big enough for us, and the price is worth considering what we will store in it.

It boils down to personal preference when buying a fireproof safe, so write down what you want from your safe and consider what will be stored in it.

1. Serene Life is Fireproof, Waterproof Safe
2. Sentry Fireproof Waterproof Chest
3. Sentry Safe 1.23 cubic feet combination Fire-Safe Advance fire-protection- UL Classified for fire endurance ( 1 hour at 1700 f/927 C )
4. Honeywell Moulded Fire-Safe Water Chest 30-minute fire protection for up to 1550F /843C
5. Sentry Executive Fire Safe 4.7 cubic feet

Sentry Safe Executive Fire-Safe is the optimal security safe that also provides fire and water protection.

Your records and valuables will be safeguarded and organized with the thicker door, 9 oversized locking bolts ( 30 mm) , multi-position shelves and carpeted interior.

This executive safe has a standard fire protection-ETL verified for fire endurance ( 30-minutes at 1400 F ) to protect documents, records and valuables stored inside from fire damage.

This unit is also ETL Verified water-resistant for 12-Inch of water for 72 hours.

What Size Fireproof Safe Do I Buy?

We have yet to buy one; however, we are contemplating buying a large safe to store in the basement or cold room for our family.

Remember that not all fireproof safes can withstand fire for too long, which means you also risk losing the contents of what’s inside the safe.

Some homeowners go as far as installing a fireproof safe inside the wall to keep it off the ground and from would-be thieves.

That’s another thing to consider if a thief breaks in, even if they don’t have the key or security code for your safe.

They will walk out the door with it if it is easy to carry.

That was my brother-in-law’s explanation when I asked him about the fireproof safe he built into his house.

It wasn’t big, but it held his spare cash and anything valuable to him.

The wheels start turning when you know things such as a fireproof safe that isn’t widely discussed.

It’s like starting a budget, preparing a Will, life insurance, rental insurance, or sorting your end-of-life arrangements.

No one thinks about it unless it’s something you have to deal with because something has happened.

We have to change this mindset to prepare ourselves for the unknown better.

We probably wouldn’t have considered a fireproof safe had my father-in-law passed away.

My brother-in-law has one, and our financial advisor suggested it.

The plan is for Mrs. CBB and I to discuss the documents we put in our fireproof safe once we buy it and perhaps look into a secondary place such as a bank.

What Should You Store In A Fireproof Safe?

You can keep whatever your heart desires in a fireproof safe, but for the sake of importance, I want to review must-keep documents you will want to consider.

Just remember what you store away has a higher probability of surviving a fire, theft, flood, or other acts of nature if protected rather than sitting in a drawer or box.

Passport

Your passport is not only identification but your ticket in and out of the country, so it’s valuable you will want to lock up.

Permanent Resident Card

As a permanent resident card holder, I don’t need to carry it around with me,

I don’t want to go through the process of getting a replacement card if I don’t have to.

Birth Certificate Or Oher Certificates

We have birth certificates and passports for the entire family, which will go in a safe because keeping them in a drawer isn’t cutting it.

My wife and son also have baptism certificates and long-form government documents for birth and baptism that will be stored.

Finally, our marriage certificate will be part of this section.

Insurance And Investment Documents

As we discussed with our financial advisor, keeping all insurance and investment documents locked up is a brilliant idea.

He suggested that we let the person know who is named on our WILL that would take over our affairs in the event we both die at the same time.

House and Real Estate Documents

Some of the more common house and real estate documents you may want to put in your safe are:

• Deed to your home and property survey
• Business information and documentation
• Mortgage documents
• Vehicle ownership documents
• Banking information to your savings and other bank accounts
• Assets and Debts
• Credit card information

The idea here is to keep information handy for someone having to take over your life if you are gone or unable to care for yourself.

Legal Will

This is a BIG one because if your WILL gets lost, then the process to get one from the courts may take some time.

It’s also advisable to ensure that your lawyer keeps a copy of your WILL in their fireproof safe and to let whoever needs to know where to find the WILL and Lawyer.

Spare Keys

You never know when you will need that spare set of keys to your house or vehicle so it’s a smart idea to store a set in your safe.

On the outside of our house, we also have a Master Lock 5401D wall-mounted lock box.

This has come in handy over the past 10 years, and I highly recommend owning one.

We even gave our family one each for Christmas one year, and they loved it.

No more storing a spare key under the front door mat or flower pot.

Emergency Cash

I think just about everyone who considers owning a safe will put some form of spare cash in the event of an emergency.

House photos

This is a great idea, especially if you must prove to your insurance company that you had an item stolen or lost in a fire, flood, or other acts of nature.

I suggest keeping important receipts for big tickets or valuable items in your fireproof safe.

Family photos

You can never get family photos back unless you have the negatives or the USB or other digital storage it came on.

Please do yourself a favor, back it up, and put it away for safekeeping.

We brought two small boxes of my wife’s family photos to our house.

There are no negatives, so they are lost forever if they burn or get stolen.

Memories are so important, so protect them.

Jewellery and Valuables

If you don’t want to store your valuables in a bank vault, keep them in your fireproof safe at home.

Anything from wedding rings to jewelry handed down through the generations.

Perhaps you have an item worth big bucks, not jewelry but valuable.

Please put it in your fireproof safe.

Password Managers and Personal Information

If you want to keep your passwords for just about everything online, you can store it on a piece of paper or a stick so you can always access it.

Alternatively, many Password Manager apps allow you to store passwords and usernames.

However,, the people looking after your affairs when you are gone must know how to find or access this information.

Some of the top password storage apps are simple to use and affordable or accessible, such as Dashlane, Sticky Password, Robo Form, Keeper, and Password Safe.

You may also want to consider keeping a copy of your social insurance number, health card, and driver’s license.

Renting a Safe Deposit Box in Canada

Finally, if you aren’t comfortable leaving any of the above in a home fireproof safe, consider keeping original copies in a bank-safe deposit box and backup at home.

Over at Royal Bank, for example, they offer customers a safe deposit box for what I would consider a reasonable price.

Safe Deposit Box rentals range from $60 to $500 annually plus applicable taxes.

However, depending on your banking account, this service may be available to you at no additional charge or at a discount.

If you’re looking for a way to protect your valuable documents and small items, consider keeping them in a safe deposit box that’s securely stored inside the vault at your local RBC Royal Bank^® branch.

Safe Deposit Box rentals range from $60 to $500 annually plus applicable taxes.

However, depending on your banking account, this service may be available to you at no additional charge or at a discount.

Box Size	Annual Fee as of June 1, 2018
Small	$60
Medium	$90
Medium/Large	$200
Large	$350
Extra Large	$500

GST/QST/HST will be added to these prices.

A bank safe deposit box is worth the investment, especially for important documents and valuables that are hard to replace or you need easy access to.

Whether you choose to own a fireproof safe, safe deposit box, or nothing at all, consider what your life would be like if it were gone.

Discussion: What do you keep in your home fireproof safe?

Leave me a comment below, as I enjoy reading your feedback and learning from my readers.

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