All these are good points, BUT.... the use of the word "fireproof" seems to
fool a lot of people.  Nothing is fireproof... not even concrete.

"Fire resistance" is rated in the number of hours that a piece of equipment
(vault, safe, file cabinets, etc.) can withstand the heat without breaking
down.

Sorry for sidetracking the question slightly, but I believe this point
needed to be made.

On 7/2/08, Hugh Smith <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> Diana,
>
> Since our fireproof vaults are expensive per square foot, almost all of
> them are filled with some version of high density shelving.
>
> Your project should start out with an inventory of items that will be
> stored  (e.g. 700 linear feet of paper documents, 50 cubic feet of
> microfilm, etc.)  Then a growth rate for each along with an intelligent
> guess as to which items might grow faster while others might slow down.
>
> Also, to often, one forgets to add space for media.  Your goal should be to
> pull media into your collection whether is be LTO, Magstar, Ultrium or even
> disk drives.  This is the record platform that should also be under your
> care.  So some Gemtracs should be part of the plan.
>
> Too often we build a vault and the system is not flexible enough and two
> years later the vault is fine but the shelving system is all wrong.  You
> need to buy what works for flexibility for you and take a view to the
> future.
>
> I once witnessed a company set up for one type of storage, a change
> occurred and 80% of their shelving was worthless and an investment of
> $60,000 was ruined.
>
> Think where you want to be in the next five years and make sure your
> shelving will be there too.
>
> Also it is better to put in the rails and a few rows of shelving and then
> add on more rows later.  Anything can run on those rails so putting off
> buying half your shelving till you need it will save dollars today, and make
> sure you don't make a mistake.
>
> Also, if certain parts of your collection are vital and permanent such as
> Birth Records, Deed Books, Utility Plans or historical records and artifacts
> as well as City Official Meeting Records then you need to think about
> whether your vault is designed to protect media (microfilm, sound
> recordings, aperature cards, etc.) as well as paper.
>
> The National Fire Protection Association hosted two sessions from members
> of the NFPA 232 "Protection of Records" Standard,  Technical Committee so
> look for Fire Protection Engineers and Fire Marshals to start paying
> attention to how you protect records.
>
> Also if your shelving system can move to a park condition where everything
> is locked, this is a good thing as it makes it more difficult to start a
> fire.
>
> Another tip, look for a Clean Agent Suppression System in your File Room as
> your first responder. I was amazed that in the fire tests conducted on
> mobile shelving that the cabinets shielded the heat from the sprinkler heads
> so the fires raged for 41 minutes to even longer before the sprinklers went
> off.
>
> A clean agent system reacts with smoke or heat and therefore would respond
> faster and can flow to wherever the fire is.  The sprinkler heads are not as
> effective with the files tightened up, as the steel deflects the water.
>  Clean agents react faster and with less residual damage.
>
> Well as usual I have digressed but I think this is stuff that everyone who
> is buying a mobile or track shelving system should know.
>
> Hugh Smith
> FIRELOCK Fireproof Modular Vaults
> [log in to unmask]
> (610)  756-4440    Fax (610)  756-4134
> WWW.FIRELOCK.COM
>
>
>

-- 
Graham Kitchen

(866) 333-2015

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