Safe and secure through fire and chaos
I wanted to share my story with you. I really do appreciate what you and Diego and everyone that helped me did. I can’t express my thanks enough. I’ll be in touch soon to purchase another safe.
Truly, thank you very much!
A fire ruined my home in mid-December. Immediately after the fire I could see that although the house was destroyed, my Visalia safe was still standing tall in my basement. I wasn’t able to access the house that day, so I called Shannon to see what the next steps were. She was kind and understanding and let me know Visalia Safes would help however they could. Over the course of the next week, my home was burglarized twice. Both times thieves attempted to break onto the safe and both times were unsuccessful — even using a saw or grinder at one point — the safe was very tough and held up!
I was panicking about my valuables being at risk, so Shannon rearranged the schedule to send Diego and Jorge to open the safe just days before Christmas. I live about 4 hours away from Exeter, so it was a big deal. I was already grateful for the help, but when we got to the house, we found a third burglary had occurred and the safe had been moved from the basement and was lying face down outside on the curb. My heart sank- I was not confident that things were going to be alright. Diego and Jorge were absolute professionals. They immediately made a plan and were able to move and flip the safe – it still had not been opened!
Diego was able to open it for me, and we found the contents of the safe were remarkably undamaged and smoke-free. Diego showed me how the door seal worked perfectly during the fire to seal the safe. Additionally, the digital fire safe mechanism worked normally and the contents of that were 100 percent undamaged.
From top to bottom I can’t say enough about my Visalia safe. Its construction was tough enough to withstand a devastating fire and multiple burglaries, including being moved and dropped.
The Visalia safe family was just as amazing. From Shannon’s caring to Diego’s skill, I was as impressed with the team as I was with the safe.
I will always think of the security that my safe provided me when everything else was lost. Needless to say, I am a customer for life- I will always support a local company that builds a superior product and supports their customers when they need it most.
We are glad that Scott’s valuables were preserved from fire and theft because his Visalia Safe did its job. Let’s take a look at two aspects of the Visalia Safe that were particularly useful in Scott’s situation.
How fire protection works in a Visalia Safe
Ceramic wool vs fire board
First, the fire protection in Scott’s safe just worked. All Visalia Safes carry some level of fire protection. The first element is the lining of the safe. Visalia Safes use either “fire board” or “ceramic wool”. The former is used in safes where quick fire protection is essential, but long-protection is less assured. That’s why we use fireboard in our Superior safe tier base safes: it provides excellent fire protection for shorter fire events. By contrast, ceramic wool provides longer-term protection at higher heats. Visalia Safes installed ceramic wool between the outer layer of steel (7 gauge) and an inner steel liner (12-gauge). This prevents heat from being conducted to the interior of the safe, providing excellent protection for longer periods.
Fire seals
The other element is the “fire seal”. This is placed around the door opening. In the event of a fire, the seal expands to seal the interior of the safe, protecting hot gases and flames from entering the safe’s interior. As the fire continues to burn, it actually burns the seal’s material, which is designed to maintain its integrity even after it has been burned. As Scott found, the seals work remarkably well and can help protect the contents of a safe even during sustained fire events. That’s fire protection as its designed to work!
Construction quality – precision and engineering
Second, Scott’s safe provided protection even after the fire. Despite several attempts and the thieves even dragging the safe from Scott’s former home, the safe maintained its integrity and kept his valuables safe. Unlike mass-manufactured safes, Visalia Safes are all hand-made. That allows us to mate our doors and bodies with tighter tolerances. Combined with precision-drilled and placed bolt passages and robust hinges, and you have a safe that combines beauty, utility and safety in one tough package. As the thieves found out to their cost, it is very difficult to break into a Visalia Safe, no matter where it is.
If you are looking for a safe that combines fire protection with tough construction to protect your valuables, check out Visalia Safes. We will make you your dream safe at a price that can’t be beat. You’ll be surprised by how much you can get, and delighted that you get exactly what you want.