Currently have all our valuable items and documents in a bank safe deposit box. We want to get a safe and store these items in the home along with guns. I don’t really know exactly what to look for in terms of fire / water ratings. I would assume the fire department could be at our house within 15-20 minutes given our suburban location. What are the important criteria to look for ? Additionally, would a wall safe be better than floor safe ?
I’m also in the market for a safe. Most safes provide adequate fire and water protection. You don’t want a safe that can be picked up and stolen. It’s the first thing a thief will take. If you have long guns you need a tall floor safe which needs to be bolted to the floor. You also need to control the humidity in the safe. There are various methods of doing this. Lots of info if you google it.
A wall safe doesn’t store a lot, but if it’s in your bedroom it can provide safe storage and easy access to a handgun.
You could contact your local fire department for 1) their typical response time to a 911 call, and 2) their recommendations for what to look for in a safe.
As mentioned, you don’t want thieves to be able to easily pick up and carry off your valuables. However, you may want something for important documents that YOU can easily grab and carry off in an emergency.
We went that route a year ago. We waited until Black Friday after deciding what we wanted. It was on sale on the Liberty website. Our local gun dealership matched the price and delivered it for free. We have not regretted getting it. We went big since we have long guns and valuables. Also, we knew it would not pack in as much as we thought it would on the show room floor. Ours is bolted to the floor. We did spring for the humidity control (small heater) since we live in the humidity capital of the states (North Central Florida). We looked at other less expensive models at other places. Again, we do not regret getting a Liberty. It has not been tested since we got it thankfully (no fires or attempted burglaries). We did get inexpensive containers for jewelry. I did not see the need for the Liberty ones and no one sees them in the safe so they do not need to be pretty, just functional.
I bought a safe on Amazon years ago and really like it. I did some research and used some common sense.
Many of the safes I see at Costco and other places have the front circular keypad just hanging by a couple wires, probably because somebody pulled on it. I wanted something a bit better.
The one I found in 2019 was abut $250 (I think used) but has stood the test of time. TIGERKING Safe Box, 1.5 Cubic Feet, Large Steel Home Safe with Digital + Key Lock for Home and Office - Amazon.com
It uses two keys or a key and a passcode to get in. There is a separate locked compartment but not very safe by itself. The unit has a light inside and a way to use an external power source if the internal batteries are dead and you have to use the keypad. As I say, you can also use 2 keys instead.
Digital Security Safe Box，Double Safety Key Lock and Password，Special own Interior Iocking Box Safe for Home Office 1.5 Cubic Feet by TIGERKING
There are a few things other people have mentioned, such as response time for Fire or Police and so on. Personally, I did not consider that in my decision. I am rural and my main concerns were, is the safe heavy and how quickly could a thief (a stupid one or a smart one) gain access to it. If a fire started, will it generally protect the items. I have never had a home burglary or fire in my life, so would those are probably not my biggest concern; just lock things up with reasonable security. Perhaps some spare cash for emergencies but not many thousands. Very specific papers are probably best kept online in text or image format.
Recently we had a scare when the volcano near my house (not the one that fountains, but the giant one that is pretty dormant) started oozing lava. If it had flowed towards me rather than away, I would have had 3 hours to perhaps 7 hours to get the heck away. If I was up in town, I am not, unless I have animals, going to risk driving towards flowing lava to get to my safe. So it really depends upon what you need to store in it or what you want to store in it and how critical are those items that they cannot be replaced.
I consider my safe a reasonably safe place to store things but not a guaranteed place that I must rely upon. It is like car insurance that may or may not pay off when you need it.
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I’ve had both fire and burglary. Neither were significant, but enough to grab my attention. I have friends who’ve faced evacuation due to forest/wildfires. No guns…if I had any, I’d have bought the gun safe before they ever came home.
get a gun safe.
also get a lockable strongbox for your important papers that will fit inside your gun safe.
also remove everything from your wallet copy them and put in your unsafe every year.
do your search on line for gun safes and at gunshows.
go thru your safe every year for spring cleaning.
I am not an expert, but based on your comments and a quick search, I would say you want a safe that does everything well, so I would target a TL-15-rated safe with a 2‑hour fire rating from Hollon or AMSEC.
It’s the sweet spot between consumer safes and bank vaults.
Other Tips
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Heavier + bolt‑down is better (prevents carry‑off).
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Choose a reliable lock (UL‑rated keypad or mechanical).
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Buy bigger than you think, safes fill up fast.
- 50% larger than your current needs
- Shelving and door storage eat usable space
- Fire insulation reduces internal volume
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Avoid “fireproof” claims without UL/ETL testing.
I thought this was a good example
Why UL Ratings & Testing Matter: How to Read Safe Labels with Confidence
Finally, I came across this, but I can not vouch for the credibility; it looks pretty good
The 7 Best Home Safes of 2026, Tested and Reviewed - Business Insider
Good luck