Fireproof Testimonials

File Survives Vehicle Fire
January 27, 2001

Mr. Van Carlisle
FireKing International, Inc.
101 Security Parkway
New Albany, IN 47150

Dear Mr. Carlisle,

In June 2000, I moved from Florida to Massachusetts and engaged Allied Van Lines to carry my furniture and other personal belongings north. On the way, a severe fire, which began at a rear wheel spread to the van itself and destroyed everything I had with the one exception of the contents of my Fire King two-drawer file cabinet. The cabinet itself was badly scorched, but when the insurance agent at the site opened the safe, all the paper records I kept inside were intact. Since these records were important to me I was very grateful indeed to have them safely back in my possession. Your Fire King file cabinet did what Fire King claimed it would do.

In addition, the members of your organization I spoke with during this period, Miss Jennifer Gentry and Mr. Doug Voet, were understanding and cooperative in honoring the guarantee to replace the cabinet in the event of damage by fire. My replacement Fire King file cabinet is in place; and while I hope never to experience a disaster like last June’s ever again I am confident that my Fire King will protect whatever it holds, whatever happens.

With appreciation.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Gerald J. Adams

File Survives Oklahoma Tornado
Van Carlisle received a letter from Sande and Jim Johnson, survivors of the tornado that struck Oklahoma City on May 3rd, 1999. This is their story...

Dear Mr. Carlisle,

Please express our gratitude to each and every person who works at Fire King for their efforts at providing a quality product. Without our four-drawer FireKing file cabinet, we would have had major difficulties during the past 7 weeks. On May 3, we watched as a tornado headed our direction, and took the same basic precautions we always take. We backed up the computer and placed the disc in the file cabinet with an assortment of other valuables. Continuing to watch the weather reports and then with visual observations, we knew it was time to take cover.

We had to be dug out of the rubble that had once been our 2200 square foot home with an in-home office. We were in the utility room with our 18 year old son and the dog, buried under appliances. As it turned out, there was no other place in the house we could have survived.

We lost most of our possessions in a few minutes, including three vehicles, watercraft, storage buildings, clothing, furniture. We had to evacuate the area that night and were not allowed back in the neighborhood until late the next day. During that time, the office portion of our home was bulldozed as a part of the recovery effort.

Just imagine your most valuable possessions: birth & marriage certificates, passports, and old family Bible, jewelry, vehicle titles, insurance records, income tax forms...and the list continues. These items were all in the FireKing file cabinet - safe, secure, and undamaged. Jimmy had prepared payroll checks for his employees earlier that day. They were ready to go along with the computer backup copy of our business accounting system, also safely stored in our Fire King file cabinet.

Days later, a simple phone call to Fire King is all it took to get a replacement file cabinet delivered at no cost. There are no words to fully express our appreciation to every individual at Fire King. Each and every detail of thought and work that goes into each file cabinet contributes to a quality finished product.

The entire house was in small pieces. Most of the "treasures" stored in the attic were never found. The current tornado rating scale lists an F-5 as the most powerful tornado and this one exceeded that scale. Our house received a direct hit. No walls were left standing.

God had His protective hand on our lives and those of our neighbors that evening. We are alive! And, thanks to our foresight in purchasing a Fire King file cabinet, we were able to quickly move on with our lives.

Sincerely,
Sande Johnson

File Survives Wisconsin Tornado Nancy Chandler
Chandler Insurance Services, Inc.
dba Dairyland Insurance Agency
PO Box 177
Bruce, WI 54819

Dear Fire King:

On 9-2-02, a tornado ripped through the business district of Ladysmith, WI, causing catastrophic damage to many buildings and residences. Our business was one of those totally destroyed by the storm.

Less than 5 years earlier, we had purchased a total of six legal size, four-drawer, Fireking fireproof file cabinets for use in our office. This was a major investment for our little business, but one that would come to be the best thing we ever did!

As you can see by the attached photos, our building was reduced to a pile of rubble. Literally, the only thing standing when it was all over was our set of Fireking file cabinets! Once we were able to clear the debris out of the way, we were very relieved to find that our valuable client files were safe. The lightweight metal cabinets that we used for storing supplies were tangled and twisted and useless to us. The contents inside them were rain soaked and ruined. Our fireproof file cabinets had slight evidence of gritty sand that had blown into the drawer openings, but overall, they stood up against the tornado remarkably well. Everything inside them was dry and well protected. They remained standing while vehicles all around us were tossed in the air like toy cars!

We have regrouped, and are now building a new office at the same location. The completion date is getting closer (we hope to be in by early – middle July). We are most happy to share our story with others who may find it of interest.

Sincerely,

Nancy Chandler

File Survives Fire at Tribal Offices
Pokagan Band of Potawatomi Indians
Dowagiac, Michigan

On September 13, 2003 near Dowagiac, Michigan, the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians experienced the misfortune of two fires which completely destroyed the administration office building and the maintenance building located on the tribe’s property. Thankfully, no staff members were at the properties when the fire struck, and as arson is a possibility, the Michigan State Police's fire marshal division is investigating the cause of the fire.

The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, currently in the process of reacquiring a land base, is engaged in delivering distributing basic social services and assistance to its approximately 2,700 members, most of whom are concentrated in the area of Southwestern Michigan/Northwestern Indiana. (The name derives from Chief Simon Pokagon, a famous Native American lecturer during the 1850s)

Due to the fact that the tribe vital records were stored in UL-rated fireproof filing cabinets, come the following Monday after the fire, the tribal officers had at their disposal all the paperwork required to keep the business of the tribe running (as well as deal with the ensuing insurance investigation and assist the authorities with the criminal investigation.)

The decision to store the tribe’s vital records in UL-rated fireproof filing cabinets can be attrubited to tribal leaders, who also had the foresight to ensure that the tribe instituted a policy of regularly backing up copies of it’s vital records; as well as storing some records at different locations.

Mr. H. "Ted" Fenberbosch, Tribal Operations Officer, admitted that he was not 100% certain the fireproof filing cabinets would protect the contents stored within in the event of an actual fire. Once the salvage process began, however, Mr. Fenberbosch commented that "the cabinets worked wonderfully, and we wished we had more fireproof cabinets since not all the filing cabinets in the building were fireproof, and some valuable information was in fact lost to the blaze."

Fire at the Home of Frederick C. Benson
Angwin CA, 04/15/04

According to the Insurance Information Institute (www.iii.org) one-and two-family residences accounted for 60% of the 519,000 structure fires in the U.S. in 2002.

Yet despite these statistics, not very many consumers think seriously about the risk associated with a house fire - one that could easily destroy all of their personal possessions including all vital records and documents and irreplaceable mementos and heirlooms.

As Frederick C. Benson can attest, there are some measures people can take to preserve vital records from the most disastrous of fires, the first of which typically involves storing records and other valued items in a fireproof file cabinet, safe and/ or specially designed vault. In April of 2004, Benson, an attorney based in Northern California, was in the middle of controlled burn to clear some brush from his property when an errant spark from the blaze landed on his roof, causing a blaze which completely destroyed the house – absolutely nothing survived except for his Fire King 4-Drawer fireproof file.

Afraid of what he would find upon opening the drawers, Mr. Benson was extremely relieved to find that everything in the safe survived the intense heat of the fire. Included in the list of items he had stored in his FireKing product were deeds, legal documents, heirlooms, flags, paper currency, firearms, and, most importantly, non-replaceable videos of his children including several parties, special events and graduations, namely his son’s recent graduation from U.S. Navy SEAL training in Coronado, California.

"To lose any of it would have been devastating," said Mr. Benson. "But that one would have been extra traumatic." He continued: "one seldom considers the devastation caused by fire, but once experienced it is clear that everyone who has a home should own a Fire King fireproof container.

According to Van Carlisle, chief executive of FireKing Security Group, an Indiana-based loss prevention company that owns Fire King International, maker of fireproof products, it is important for homeowners to "do some planning in advance and think about documents they do want to protect, and consumers can get the right product for their needs for as little as around $400."

For storage of paper-based documents, it is crucial to look for products that are tested for resistance to fire and impact damage by Underwriters’ Laboratory (UL) in Northbrook, Ill. Beware of equipment with vague "manufacturers" or non-independent ratings. Many products out there claim to be "built to" a certain UL class specification. This is marketing-driven wordplay, pure and simple - and it leads the customer to falsely believe they are getting a UL rating, but in reality it's just the manufacturer's dubious claim.

Look for the UL stamp on each unit to make sure the product is really UL rated. A cabinet with a Class 350 rating -- suitable for protecting paper -- would limit internal temperature to no more than 350 degrees Fahrenheit while subjected to extended high external temperature, often 1,700 degrees or more for more than an hour.

For storage of computer disks and other magnetic media, experts recommend buying a unit tested by UL for a maximum internal 125 degrees (Class 125) for any electronic media such as digital disks, computer storage disks and even microfiche, since they are less tolerant of heat.

FireKing Helps Horner Novelty Continue After Fire
Jeffersonville IN, 01/11/04

On January 11, 2004 a fire raged through downtown Jeffersonville, Indiana, destroying several buildings in one of Jeffersonville's oldest blocks. One of the structures destroyed by the inferno housed Horner Novelty, a vendor of party supplies, novelties and bingo supplies. The company has three locations in the Kentuckiana region; having opened in 1970 as a bingo supply company, and the company’s administrative headquarters was located at the Jeffersonville store.

The fire was caused by an electrical malfunction in one of the junction boxes in the Horner building. Firefighters were not able to contain the blaze, which was fed by the large amount of combustibles, paper products and party supplies contained in the building. At the time of the catastrophe, most of the buildings were unoccupied and thankfully no one was injured.

Horner Novelty’s management team had the forethought to purchase a separate insurance policy for “disruption of business,” in other words; their insurers would provide them with the resources to execute on a previously developed comprehensive Disaster Recovery Plan - one which provided Horner with a blueprint for maintaining and resuming business in the wake of the disaster. As with any well thought out Disaster Recovery Plan, Horner Novelty’s included a method for the protection and preservation of Vital Records. Simply put, if Horner’s Vital Records had not survived the fire, no amount of insurance would have been adequate enough to bring the company back to its pre-fire operating level.

Horner’s approach for protection of their Vital Records included purchasing and using Fire King’s UL (Underwriters’ Laboratory) tested and fire-rated vaults, safes and filing cabinets.

The statistics support Horner’s decision to take the steps necessary to protect their Vital Records. According to figures from the National Fire Protection Association, 47 percent of all businesses that suffer a catastrophic fire cease operations inside of one year. Ninety percent of those firms whose records are destroyed are no longer in business a year later.

Horner Novelty, (due to their dedicated employees and strong customer base, along with their proactive protection of Vital Records) was happy to recently report that they were opened a temporary store, near the original location, in March 2004, and construction of the new building should be complete by September - allowing the novelty-maker to fully reopen - just in time to have a very Happy Halloween.

Saferite Business Systems Center
Memphis TN, January 2006

David Isom is the owner of Saferite Business Systems Center, located in Memphis, TN. Saferite is in the business of selling new and used office furniture and was started over thirty-two years ago by Mr. Isom, and the company remained in its original location until September 4th, 2005. On that day, a devastating fire ultimately destroyed most of the building and its contents. Luckily, owing to Mr. Isom's foresight, the business's vital records were properly stored in a FireKing 4-drawer fireproof vertical filing cabinet.

From Isom's past experiences, managing post properties for the U.S. Army, he gained the very real awareness that no property is safe from destruction, regardless of whether it is destroyed by an enemy air strike or a spark from a TV. The latter is what caused the massive fire to knock out Saferite's alarm system, burn through the entire 40,000 square ft. warehouse, hit a natural gas line, cause an explosion, and destroy over $1 million in inventory. The blaze burnt for over seven hours, requiring the attention of seven Memphis FD trucks. After it was all over and safe to return to the building, Isom returned for a damage assessment.

"The damage was incredible, and I knew that it would be a while before business would operate normally in this location, he commented. "We are currently rebuilding the site now. Thankfully, I was protected by the FireKing file - there was only one cabinet, but it housed very important things such as legal documents, titles, deeds, checks, invoices, accounts receivable information, and about $1,000 in cash; basically every legal document representing over $4 million in assets was kept in that file."

According to Mr. Isom, the outside of the FireKing was completely destroyed; its appearance was congruent with its surroundings. The mechanism from the lock on the unit had burnt and was frozen, rendering it impossible to open with out prying a drawer open with a crowbar. In other words, everything around the FireKing file was burnt to a crisp, but the contents were completely safe and in there original condition.

Getting back to business after a catastrophic event such as this can seem to be an impossible task. Saferite Business Systems Center, however, was only out of business for 30 days. They moved to a different location in the area and set up shop as quickly as possible to maintain the customer base of over $2 million. Without having immediate access to the company's most important documents and help from the highest levels of business interruption insurance this would not have been possible.

The lesson learned from the loss experienced by Saferite Business Systems Center is clear: be proactive and don't ignore the risks. Using a proper UL-rated fireproof and water resistant filing cabinet or safe for your business's vital records is an essential component to the overall security strategy for you business.

David Isom, now more than ever, knows the importance of proper vital record protection and storage and by placing the file that survived the September 4th fire in the center of his showroom; he uses this lesson as a way to promote fireproof filing containers to his business customers. He and his staff now show the burnt up shell of the FireKing file as a dramatic and visual sales tool when preparing other businesses for a potential disaster such as the one he experience on September 4th, 2005

Modern Furniture Manufacturers Survives Arson Fire
Arlington WA, January 2006

Modern Furniture Manufacturer’s Inc. is a wholesale manufacturing business that builds furniture, anything from complete bedroom sets to dining room and living room furniture sold to dealers across the country. The family owned and operated business, located in Arlington, Washington, started in 1943 experienced a devastating fire, (which according to authorities was caused by arson) that destroyed the physical plant along with most of its contents on October 30th, 2005. Some of the only salvageable remains from the ashy wreckage include the contents of the two FireKing 4-drawer UL-rated fireproof and water resistant filing cabinets that were kept in the main office area.

The actual structure that burnt to the ground on that day was a 54,000 square foot warehouse which contained a mill, spare parts storage, assembly area, finishing, shipping and an office. Inside the factory the fire was greatly strengthened due to the large amount of material required to build furniture that was kept inside (i.e. wood, highly flammable paints and glues). Fire investigators have determined that the blaze caused nearly $3.5 million in damages. There were over 100 firefighters dispatched to the scene, where nobody was hurt, but the lives of the owners and employees were drastically changed by the loss of the building, and will remain so at least until business gets back to normal. The main office was shortly moved off-site and was semi-operational about three days later. The manufacturing is still not operational and won’t be for quite some time.

The most important enabling factor in that effort to return to normal business operations are the specific vital business documents that were stored in the UL-rated fireproof FireKing file cabinet and saved from the flames - cash, personnel files, payroll checks, tax information, blank checks, copies of titles, keys, and financial statements - all documents that helped Modern Furniture regain a small amount of regrouping momentum almost immediately after the fire.

Ryan Blackwell, a senior executive at Modern Furniture Manufacturer’s Inc., describes how impressed he and the rest of the company was with the function of the FireKing filing cabinet.

"We are still in the process of dealing with our insurance agency to get additional help to rebuild, but it is clear that having the FireKing file helped us retain cash and other valuable information that would have otherwise taken a considerable amount of time to collect. We were very impressed with how well the cabinets held up and we wish that we had more of them at the time of the fire. Without a doubt, the FireKing file surpassed its 'warranty’ standards."

The benefits of proactive installation of FireKing fireproof filing cabinets were clearly noticed in this case. The furniture industry can gain crucial knowledge and respect from Modern Furniture Manufacturer’s Inc. experience and learn just how important it is to protect vital business records from fire (or any other category of disaster). If a disaster recovery plan is not in place for your business, take the time to create a very detailed strategy that incorporates a properly placed, UL-rated fireproof and water resistant filing cabinet or safe.

Aaron's Rents Takes Pro-active Approach to VRP
Atlanta GA, January 2007

All businesses everywhere operate under the assumptions that generating sales and positioning themselves for growth are the two key components for success in the global marketplace. One factor that many business owners fail to acknowledge, however, is the importance of adequate disaster recovery plans. The takeaway lesson learned from major catastrophes such as 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina as well as smaller scale events such as fires or floods are clear. Proactively developing strong business contingency plans that incorporate measures for Vital Records Protection (VRP) for these types of unexpected disasters is the only way to survive one. For example consider the proactive approach used by the sales and leasing giant, Aaron’s Rents, Inc (NYSE: RNT). The Atlanta-based corporation is one of the leading rental and rent-to-own companies in the US. With more than1,300 company-operated and franchised stores across 47 states and Canada, founder R. Charles Loudermilk has taken the precautionary steps to protect his company. Each Aaron’s Rents, Inc. location is equipped with two FireKing fire-resistant safes as well as at least one FireKing filing cabinet.

Bill Sebastian, Director of Purchasing for all locations, comments on how imperative it is to ensure the safety of cash as well as vital company records in this way:

“The most important part of our business is collecting month after month from our customers who purchase or lease a product from Aaron’s Rents, Inc. If our customer’s information were destroyed for whatever reason, we wouldn’t know who they are or how much they owe us. Customer agreements are kept secure in FireKing fireproof filing cabinets, and we use the FireKing safes to store cash and other small objects, such as iPods, jewerly and camcorders.”

There are three operating divisions of Aaron Rents: sales and lease ownership, corporate furnishings, and manufacturing. The Aaron's Sales & Lease Ownership division is the largest and fastest growing division, serving credit-constrained consumers in need of basic home furnishings, appliances and electronics. The Sales & Lease Ownership division has over 800 Company-owned stores and the rest of the locations are franchised stores. Sebastian continues about the security policies in place for both company owned stores as well as the franchises:

“All of the company-owned stores are required by policy to have two FireKing safes and one FireKing filing cabinet, on the other hand, our franchised locations are not required, but almost all of them do follow our company guidelines when it comes to using FireKing’s UL-rated fireproof protection for the cash and other upfront items, as well as the vital records in the form of customer agreements. We have been very lucky because there have been few disasters to put anything at serious risk, but we are ready for the moment something bad does happen.”

Unfortunately, not all organizations have the foresight to protect themselves from disaster like Aaron’s Rents, Inc. Making what may seem like an expensive precautionary measure can prove to be the most economical decision once a disaster occurs. The cost of replacing or reproducing vital company records, leases, deeds, titles, customer agreements, cash, merchandise, etc., will be astronomically higher than preparing your business in advance. Your ability to recover from an unexpected tragedy is only as good as your business contingency plan and the tools you deploy to make the plan work and ensuring it includes the deployment of UL-rated fire-resistant storage solutions and containers, as evidenced by Aaron Rents, is one of the most crucial elements.