HOME AND GUN SAFES FROM LIBERTY BUY YOU MORE TIME!

When you buy a home or gun safe what you’re really buying is TIME…TIME to protect your valuables, heirlooms and important documents from burglaries or fire...TIME for the police to respond to a security alarm...TIME to spend with your family free from worry. Today, now more
than ever, homeowners are turning to high security, large capacity home and gun safes to protect their valuables from theft or fire. With tough economic times leading to rising crime, Liberty home and gun safes are “another line of defense” even if you own a home alarm system.
FBI reports indicate that jewelry and cash are only fifth on the list of items most likely to be stolen in a home burglary. Stereo equipment is fourth, followed by video equipment (TVs, VCRs and cameras). You probably guessed guns are number one and you are right. But can you guess what is number two? Booze, cigarettes and drugs! Go figure.

Most thieves are in a hurry. Break-ins are usually done in 10 minutes or less—surprisingly between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the afternoon. Young males, 18 to 26, most often commit these crimes. Their goal is to be gone before police arrive.

Thieves know they don’t have much time—so they smash, grab and take anything of value. When a thief enters a home, the real deterrent seems to be the addition of a heavy duty gun safe. A thief who sees a beefy Liberty Safe usually leaves without taking a thing. And if they do attempt entry, they only end up scratching or denting the safe without gaining entry. Some thieves are brazen enough to bring torching or cutting tools, but a little one-by-three-inch sticker
deters them: DANGER, BLACK POWDER ENCLOSED!

TIME VERSES A THIEF
The safe you buy will determine how much time you have to protect your valuables. Some safes have more security features than others. One company Underwriter’s Laboratory (UL) tests the security of safes independently. UL hires professional safe crackers to test the security of safes, and there are four tests. Three attacks are performed against the door, locking mechanism and
handle, while the fourth is to drill and punch the bolts from the side. If a manufacturer’s safe passes all four timed tests, the safe series is certified and classified as a Residential Security Container (RSC).

The objective of manufacturers is to keep thieves out by installing key security features. Here are 10 security features that can buy you more time:

1.Body thickness—the thicker the steel the heavier the safe and tougher it is to cut, pry, torch, or haul away. For best protection, steel gauges should be a minimum of 12 gauge and can go up to 7 gauge (which is around 3/16” thick and even though the GA number is smaller it is thicker than 12 GA).

2.The Door— Most thieves’ primary assault is on the safe door. More preventative features are put on the door than anywhere else. The thicker the door and the more door bolts a safe door has, the tougher it is to pry. Composite doors add an extra layer of fire board adds considerable fire resistance to a safe.

3.Hinges—Internal or external hinges both provide security and certain features. Internal hinges prevent cutting or compromising the hinges because they are in the inside. The door automatically stops at 110 degrees. External hinge doors open wider for even more access. With bolts on the hinge side, entry cannot be achieved even if the hinges are cut off.


4.Locks—Three types of locks are used on safes: Mechanical, Electronic keypad and Biometric. Mechanical locks are the traditional tumbler type locks without any electrical parts. Electronic locks are popular for quick access and ease of changing the combination are desirable. Biometric provides quick access by fingerprint identification without remembering codes. You should look for UL Listed locks which have built in relockers that are spring-loaded trigger mechanisms that freeze up and prevent entry when the safe’s mechanism is drilled, punched or torched. The most reputable and widely known lock manufacturer is Sargent & Greenleaf.

5.Hardplates— behind the lock, hardplates protect the lock from drilling. Triple layered hardplates seem to work the best for the money. There are even ball bearing hardplates that
virtually eliminate entry by chewing up or breaking drill bits. A few top of the line models install a glass relocker that when drilled, shatters and locks up the mechanism.

6.Mechanism— three types: Direct-drive cam, over-center cam, and gear-drive over
center mechanism. The over-center cam BETTER protects against side-bolt punching and removes all pressure from the locking bolt with a unique "dead lock" system. Some safes even include a slip clutch mechanism that slips when the handle is torqued thus preventing the lock from breaking.

7.Bolt Locking System— with bolts there is safety in numbers: look for more bolts, thicker bolts, and longer bolts on more sides of the door. More bolts on more sides increase the security and keep the door from warping during a fire.

8.Relockers—Spring-loaded relockers added to the outside of the lock protect against punching out the lock’s tumblers and releasing the locking bolt. If the back plate of the lock is ever knocked off, the spring-loaded trigger mechanism is released, much like a mousetrap, locking up the mechanism permanently.

9.Anti-pry tabs and gussets—some manufacturers make it tougher to pry the door by placing pry tabs and gussets on the inside of the door.

10.Anchoring kit—Lag bolting the safe to the floor is one of the best security accessories to prevent prying the door, tipping the safe or hauling it away. Typically, these are an optional accessory.

Buying the right security features gives you more TIME to discourage and delay thieves. Imagine your relief if an attempted break-in occurred and you found everything secure and in its place. Now that’s peace of mind.

TIME TO PROTECT AGAINST FIRE
Fire protection buys time from the damaging heat and flames, especially while you wait for your local fire department to show up. If you live out in the country, it makes even more sense to have reliable fire protection. Fire protection is standard on most large capacity gun safes.  Liberty Safe produces safes with the best fire rating in the industry.  Less expensive cabinets and some safes seldom include fire protection or minimal amounts that don’t do much during a fire.  To determine if a cheaper safe has fire protection, thump the side of a safe with your hand. If it rings hollow, it doesn’t have fire protection.

Fire ratings range from the basic 20 minutes up to 2.5 hours at 1200-1400 degrees. Test criteria for safes mirror the general home fire curve as represented by ASTM — American Society for Testing Materials. During a fire, temperatures rise from 75 degrees F (room temperature) to 1200 degrees F within 10 minutes. Manufacturer’s whose temperature curve rises over a longer period can be misleading. Most fires level off at 1200 degrees (where the fire burns through the roof and the windows blow out, lowering the temperature several hundred degrees). During the tests, if the internal temperature of the safe reaches 350 degrees F, the test stops and that is the time the safe is certified. 350 degrees is the maximum rating because paper begins to char around 400 degrees and ignites at 451 degrees. Remember reading FAHRENHEIT 451?

WHAT MAKES A GREAT FIRE SAFE?
First and foremost, the more fireboard—particularly in the ceiling and the door—the better the fire protection. Air space is not a good insulator, so beware of safes that use air spacers. Some fire safes have less fireboard in critical areas, like the door, causing weak link. If a safe may has multiple layers in the body and only one in the door, the safe will only last 20 minutes, even though their certification says it will last much longer.

Second, thicker steel is key to protecting against invasion and fire because it takes longer for heat to transfer through thicker metal. When you scientifically combine the total layers of fireboard and steel thickness, the safe will have a BTU (British Thermal Units) rating, which determines “how much total heat” a safe can take before the inside temperature reaches 350
degrees.

Third, the door frame should include an effective heat-expanding door seal to ensure better fire protection. Palusol, the most effective of them all, expands like popcorn (up to 7 times its size during a fire) and seals the door to the body to help keep out heat and smoke. For additional protection, electronic media (disks, tapes, CDs, etc) should be stored inside a media cooler or fire box inside the safe, keeping the temperature 125 degrees or less to avoid loss of information.

TIME OF WARRANTY
Manufacturer warranties range from 1-year parts-only with the buyer responsible for shipping the safe for service to a lifetime full replacement warranty when any fire or attempted break-in occurs. Some insurance companies also offer discounts on a safe purchase when it meets their classification ratings for home or businesses. Check with your insurance company for available plans.

EXTRA BENEFITS
An extra benefit of owning a big gun safe is its ability to preserve and extend the life of more than just guns. Collectibles that are sensitive to light and humidity such as stamps, coins, cards, statues, art, photos and many other collectibles are protected inside the safe.

A controlled atmosphere can be achieved with the installation of electric dehumidifier rods to reduce moisture inside the safe by raising the ambient temperature 2-3 degrees from the heat it generates. Other non-electrical units are available to absorb moisture.

Safes range in size from 12 cubic feet up to 60 cubic feet, the size of a big side-by-side refrigerator…but much heavier of course. The #1 complaint safe manufacturers receive is that the customers bought too small. When your spouse starts loading in more stuff, the safe fills up and you’ll have to buy a 'his' and 'her' model!  The size and color of the safe may depend upon where you want it installed. No longer are safes relegated to closets and basements. Today's safes are painted in a variety of high gloss colors with classy detailing to match any décor. A durable granite textured finish or the popular trend of marble gloss colors are also available for owners who want a more durable yet appealing look.
Home safes are surprisingly affordable, ranging from $400 for the smallest gun safes to $6,000 for the heaviest, most secure 24-karat gold models. The most popular size is 60” tall by 30” wide, retailing between $1000 and $2500, depending upon features. Many safe dealers offer delivery and in-home service and installation while other retailers let you save the money by hauling it yourself in the back of a pickup truck.  Delivery charges range from $100 to $900 for unusual, custom deliveries. The key drivers on delivery charges are: weight of the safe, distance you live from the dealer, whether there are any stairs or special delivery requirements to protect floors, remove doors, etc.

Once your new safe is installed and your valuables are packed inside, your comfort level will immediately increase. Buying a home safe is like having your own safety deposit bank at home with 24-hour access to your valuables and greatly limited risk of theft or fire. With a home and gun safe, you can get what you want, when you need it.

There are many uncertainties in our world today, but one thing is for sure: Owning your own home safe can buy you more time in an emergency and will help you to relax when you need it most. Whether you’re at home, at work, or on vacation... you’ll now have time on your side!


Find your next Liberty Safe at www.LibertySafe.com



For more information, contact:
James Skousen
1199 W. Utah Ave
Payson, Utah 84651
(866) 537-0165