The difficulty with using onsite "fireproof" cabinets for storing vital records is access to those records following a disruptive event.  For example, if a fire or flood occurred and you could not access the building where the cabinet resides, you could not get to the records to see if they survived or even to use them if they were needed immediately.  IF you decide "fireproof" cabinets are the way to go follow these tips:
	If possible place the cabinet in a location other than the primary work site.
	Keep duplicates of the vital records in another location.
	Make sure you get a properly classified fire resistant cabinet.  (There is no such thing as a "fire proof" cabinet.)  The equipment is classified in terms of an interior temperature limit and the time in hours before combustion of the contents. For example, a Class 125, two-hour cabinet will protect the contents for two hours at 125°F. The appropriate classification equipment must be used for the media it contains. Appendix A of NFPA-252 discusses the storage needs of different media. For example, magnetic media should be stored in Class 150 equipment.

Ginny Jones 
(Virginia A. Jones, CRM, FAI) 
Records Manager 
Information Technology Division 
Newport News Dept. of Public Utilities 
Newport News, VA 
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-----Original Message-----
From: Records Management Program [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Staneruck, Debbie [MCCUS]
Sent: Friday, July 20, 2012 12:35 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [RM] Fireproof cabinets

Would you mind sharing your thoughts with me as to the use of fireproof cabinets to store vital records.  I am interested in benchmarking how other companies protect their vital documents.  Thanks!
Regards,

Deb Staneruck

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