A firebox is something you probably learned about while in elementary school. A fun essay topic reused in kindergarten classes across the nation is, “What Items Would I Save in a Fire?” This is something that is useful for us, as adults to contemplate too. When your house catches fire, there is no telling what the circumstance will be. You may (and hopefully) not be home, to take action to save items which are precious and of significant worth-nonmonetary and monetary alike-to you. A firebox is just what it sounds like. It is a box that is fire resistant and will protect items which are placed within it, from destruction in the event of a fire.

Fireboxes are not difficult to find for purchase and range in price from about $25.00-$300.00. The most basic fireboxes are pretty small, but big enough to store and save documents that are of important nature. A firebox is a great investment for any home owner and is an item that you never want to have use for-but will be of significant value in the event that you do. It is one of those things that you do not want to wish you had, after you realize you needed it, because at that point it is too late and the likelihood of you needing a firebox two times in your life is low.

What sorts of things should you save in the event of a fire? Documents that are legal in nature like marriage certificates, birth certificates, social security cards and insurance policies is a good place to start when considering what you will feel the loss of the most, in the event of a home fire destroying many personal belongings. Dealing with the powers that be, through interactions with government agencies and other bureaucratic departments is something that will not be a welcome distraction on top of all the other logistical issues you will face after a house fire. Do yourself a favor and put into a firebox paperwork and identification that is difficult to replace. Originals of these documents will be safe in a fire box/safe.

Other examples of valuable documents:
– wills
– degrees/certifications
– passport
– medical records (vaccination records)

Family photos are precious, and may have had a place in fireboxes before the time of this mainly digital age. Now, however, it is likely that your photos are stored online or on the hard drive of your computer. A computer back up of your personal networks is a good thing to have in a fire safe but physical photos (unless very old and irreplaceable) may just take up space in a fire box and can easily be saved via more technologically advanced methods.