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Fire Protection
Fire causes nearly 6 billion dollars in damage
every year, with a new fire starting every 55 seconds.
Consumers
shopping for gun safes are sure to become extremely confused
over the "broad" claims made by manufacturers.
Many of these
claims are just that - CLAIMS - with no
accepted scientific data to support them. Cannon Safes, like
all home security safes, are not fireproof - they are
fire-resistant. Cannon Safes are built using the finest
materials strategically placed for maximum performance which
we then test and verify at Intertek, ETL SEMKO
Division - the world's leading fire test authority.
 About
Intertek - World's Leading Fire Test Authority
ETL - Founded in 1896, over a 100 years of
recognized testing
Globally recognized -
Testing everywhere for products everywhere, testing labs
in 14 countries worldwide
Completely
Independent - Intertek is NOT a consultant,
they do not work for the manufacturers they test, which
ensures scientific results based on test data.
Scientific Approach - A total of 15
thermo-sensors are used to ensure that the temperature
of the furnace is maintained at testing temperature and
the internal temperature of the safe remains below
350°F. Placement of the thermo-sensors follows the UL 72
guidelines as set forth in UL 72 5.2.1(b). |
Ramp-Up
Testing
FACT: Ramp-up and maintained
temperature are the key factors in a "recognized" test
Cannon Test
A rapid ramp-up test
(reaches 1200°F in 10 minutes) is obviously tougher than a
test taking one hour to reach 1200°F
FALLACY: A slow
ramp-up, long-time test is superior to a fast ramp-up,
shorter time test
Competitor Test
RESISTIVE
MATERIAL
FACT: Improved Type X
Gypsum is the best insulation
Gypsum is a
noncombustible material, produced in the form of flat boards
or plates that consists of approximately 21 percent by
weight of chemically combined water (27 cubic foot safe = 6
gallons of H2O). This water content greatly
contributes to the gypsum product's effectiveness as a
fire-resistive barrier. Much of the background information
in this section, and much more on gypsum, can be found in
the Fire Resistance Design Manual, Gypsum Association,
Washington D.C. (available online at www.gypsum.org/securepubs/download.asp).
The thermodynamic reaction of gypsum board or
gypsum plaster during a fire exposure produces a slow
release of its internal water content as steam, thereby
effectively retarding the heat transmission from the source
to the protected structural member (fig. 6.26) When
gypsum-protected wood or steel structural members are
exposed to a fire, this slow process of water release as
steam, know as calcination, acts as a thermal barrier until
all the internal water has evaporated. The temperature
directly behind the plane of calcination is only slightly
higher than that of boiling water 212°F), which is
significantly lower than the temperature at which steel
begins losing strength or wood ignites. Once calcination is
completed, the in-place calcined gypsum continues to act as
a physical shield to protect the underlying structural
members from direct exposure to flames.
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