Panic Rooms / Safe Rooms

A panic room or safe room is a fortified security room usually installed in a private residence

Panic rooms are designed to provide short term refuge from burglary or home invasion while the alarm is raised. The entrance to most types of panic room can be hidden behind household features, such as mirrors, wardrobes, and bookcases. Alternatively, doors can be manufactured with an outer layer of wood, cut to appear to be an ordinary wooden door in the same style as other doors throughout the household. 

Hidden Panic Room:

Construction and additional household security

As panic rooms are often required to be installed adjacent to upstairs bedrooms for ease of access in an emergency, there is of course a general need for such installations to be light weight while also being capable of resisting a determined attack with a range of tools. Thankfully, up-to-date construction methods can be used to provide walls that are fire, cutting tool and even weapon resistant, while Certified Safes Ireland™ panic room doors are light weight, certified to European standard EN1627 to a minimum of grade III, and can come with a range of options, up to certification against military grade 7.62 NATO firearm rounds - UL752 Class 8.

Additional measures:

Apart from providing a defence against home invasion, a panic room will usually contain communications equipment for emergency situations, will have an externally vented ventilation system and external security cameras so that the occupants can monitor the situation outside the room. Panic rooms are also typically equipped with basic emergency and survival items such as, emergency lighting, a flashlight, blankets, a first-aid kit, water, packaged food, self-defence tools, gas masks, and a chemical toilet. Break-in resistance of a home can be complemented with additional certified security doors (EN1627) visually matching other doors and security glazing.

Prefabricated bunker rooms

For the ultimate in security, a bunker style panic room can be constructed from prefabricated strongroom elements which can have a certified burglary resistance from grade 0 to XIII. For comparison, the average grade for a financial institution in Ireland is grade VIII. The strongroom elements used in construction of Certified Safes Ireland™ panic bunker are certified under the EN1143-1 (T2) standard, which takes into account more advanced cutting tools such as concrete saws and chainsaws. Prefabricated elements are custom fabricated for each specific site, with allowances for cabling and ventilation built in. The individual elements are then quickly and easily welded or bolted together to produce the highest possible level of security strongroom within your home.

Pre-fabricated T2 Strongroom Panels being installed:

Such installations are usually installed on ground floors or in basements due to weight but this can vary on the building. The very latest EN1143-1 (T2) strongroom panels are surprisingly light weight, enabling light weight panic bunkers to be installed to some upper floors without substantial structural reinforcement to the building, but such an approach is always subject to a risk assessment. 

Pre-fabricated T2 Strongroom Panels:

We understand the need for confidentiality

As Government and NATO contractors Certified Safes Ireland™ understand the need for confidentiality and will always respect yours. We guarantee the confidentiality of all of our private clients. Any photos taken for survey purposes have location data removed and are erased directly after use unless directed otherwise by the client. All booking records and client information pertaining to completed work is anonymised across all of our systems at the end of each month in compliance with the G.D.P.R

 For advice call: +353 1 7076011

Certified Safes Ireland™ director Alan Donohoe Redd is a member of the European CEN263 Working Group responsible for writing European Standards for safes, strongrooms (vaults), secure cabinets and physical data protection for the European Union. A registered NATO supplier and a longstanding member of the European Security Systems Association, Alan has a vast range of experience spanning almost 40 years and encompassing installation of safes, strongrooms, physical data protection, CCTV, alarms, access control, secure storage control systems and Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) specification, design, and installation.

Alan is an expert on standards and fraud issues related to secure storage in Europe and the UK, has had articles related to these subjects published by The Law Society Gazette and Irish Broker Magazine, has forced retractions of multiple false claims related to secure storage offerings to the public, including some published by the Irish Times, and has been pivotal in having misleading standards and practises recognised and withdrawn in Ireland, the UK and at a European level.

Alan's expertise has been relied on by:

N.A.T.O. Europe, The U.S. Air Force (Europe), PayPal (Worldwide), Grant Thornton, The Department Of Communications (NCSC Cyber Security) (Ireland), The Revenue Commissioners, Electricity Supply Board (Cyber Security) (Ireland), The Danish Defence Forces (Afghanistan), The Insurance Institute of Ireland, The Royal College Of Surgeons, BFC Bank, Interxion Data Centres, The Private Security Authority, Isle of Man Gold Bullion, Brown Thomas, Bvlgari, Boodles, Druids Glen, The Shelbourne Hotel, and many others ....

Alan's seminars on safes, strongrooms and HNW secure storage have been part of Continuing Professional Development for underwriters and insurers having been awarded CPD points by the Insurance Institute of Ireland and the Chartered Insurance Institute (UK).

 Pitfalls & scams in the safe supply industry

Ireland and the UK are notorious black spots for fraud and misrepresentation in the safe supply sector. Well-known safe suppliers being penalised for tax evasion and having served time in jail are just some indications of a wide range of malpractice and illegal activity throughout the safe supply industry. We strongly encourage due diligence before engaging a safe supplier or having someone survey your home or business, irrespective of who recommends them.