| Keep Safe Shelters | ||
| Are you a manufacturer or dealer? | We are a manufacturer. | |
| Since what year have you been in business? | 1972 | |
| Since what year have you been manufacturing or selling shelters? | 1999-- the unit was 2 years in development and was tested and approved in 1998. | |
| Where are you located? | Fredericksburg, VA | |
| Phone number | 800-300-5868 | |
| What areas do you serve? | Continental US. | |
| Is your shelter made to be installed above ground level, fully below ground level, or only partially buried? | Our model was designed for above-ground installation. | |
| What material is your shelter made of and how thick is it? | Our shelter is constructed of galvanized steel, and the thickness varies. | |
| What is the length, width, and height of the shelters that you sell? | The small size is 4' X 6' and the large size is 8' X 10'. | |
| Do you enter the shelter while still in the home, or do you leave the home and enter the shelter from the outside? | Either, depends on the type of installation. | |
| How does one access the shelter? | ||
| How does your shelter provide fresh air? | Passive system. | |
| How is the shelter anchored in the ground? | With either anchor bolts or expansion anchors. Expansion anchors come with the unit. | |
| Was it designed to be installed when a home is first being built, or is it installed on the lot of a finished house? | Either. | |
| How is the shelter delivered, and by who? | Via motor freight | |
| Who installs it? | The unit was designed so that the customer can do it himself, or have someone else install it. | |
| Is any heavy equipment needed to install the unit? | No. | |
| What kind of issues with shelter installation are you and your customers most likely to run into in your area(bedrock, high water table, frozen ground etc.)? | Sole requirment is to have and adequate slab for unit. We have a generic design that can be use anywere in the US other than swamps. | |
| What provision has been made in case the entrance/exit is blocked by a fallen tree or debris? | None. However this has been discussed with TTU in depth. Their opinion is that none is required as a search and rescue team will get you out within 4 hrs. That being said, I do think some provision should be made. The question is where do you stop. First, the panels on our shelters can be removed from the inside for emergency egress. Second, use a length of 4" X 4" plus a hydraulic jack. Third, a chain saw to cut through debris if necessary. As you can see this can go on. | |
| Is there a second exit in the unit? | See previous question. | |
| Can the entrance door be locked? | Yes. | |
| Do you have any handicapped-accessible units? | Yes. | |
| What provision has been made for seating, lighting, or storage? | None. | |
| Are these items included in the base price or are they extra? | We did not include any accessories in order to keep the cost down. | |
| Are there other accessories and options that are available? If so, what are they? | Options are limited to the customers imagination. For example, we have been approached to make the unit look like a fine armoir, both inside and out | |
| What is the typical cost both uninstalled and installed? | The base unit retails for $2785.00. Installation will vary from no cost if customer does it himself, to $300 to $500 depending on what area of the country you are in. | |
| Do you have a warranty, and if so, for how long and what does it cover? | Yes, there is a lifetime warranty against defects in material and workmanship to the orignal purchaser. | |
| Has your shelter undergone any kind of testing by engineers? | It has been tested and evaluated to the national performance criteria for tornado shelters by the Wind Engineering Research Center at Texas Tech. | |
| What else do you think we should know about your shelter? | The unit has portability. The homeowner can dismantle it and take it with him when he moves. It takes about 3 hours to dismantle. | |