Generally, "fireproof" cabinets are a misnomer. The ones that you are
thinking of are "fire resistant", and typically have a UL rating of
Class 350, 2 hours. That means that after a UL-standard fire duration
of 2 hours, the interior of the cabinet will not exceed 350 degrees F.
See http://tinyurl.com/2lxm5q for more information. 

I don't know about you, but that doesn't seem like a whole lot of
protection to me. Generally, heat causes the cabinet to expand, so that
will tend to prevent water from infiltrating, although it also often
means that you have to do considerable cooling after a fire to open the
cabinet (and also hope that the interior temperature does not cause the
paper to burst into flame when the drawer is opened and fresh air hits
the paper).

My feeling is that a fire resistant cabinet provides ok protection in
the event of a proximate waste basket fire that is quickly
extinguished. If the whole floor (or building) goes up, you may have to
look in the basement for the cabinet -- and most are not reinforced to
prevent destruction if the building falls on it. UL adds an "impact"
classification if the file cabinet has been tested successfully for a
standard impact.

If the records are that vital, you would be better served to image or
microfilm the documents and disperse the copies (heck, making paper
copies of the documents and storing them offsite might be sufficient
protection). The first rule of vital records protection is generally
duplicate and disperse.



Patrick Cunningham, CRM
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"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759

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