The 3 in 1 Safe Room has been tested by the Texas Tech University Wind Science & Engineering Research Center (WiSE) to withstand and F-5 tornado. We also demolished an entire school building around one of our shelters, covering it in concrete, steel, brick and block, and when we dug it out, there was barely a dent in it; and the door and hinges worked perfectly.
All units are lockable from the inside and ballistic rated.
Key Features:
- Certified to withstand F5 tornadoes
- Tested at National Wind Institute (NWI)
- Meets FEMA 321/360 and ICC 500
- Made of 1/4” steel
- 1” locking pins and 1” continuous hinge
- 3/4” diameter grade 5 bolts
- Durable powder coat finish
- Ventilation hoods
- Modular bolt-together design
- Anchors securely to concrete slabs
- Electrical ground stud
- Above-ground shelter – doesn’t flood
- ATSA listed
- Third party engineering certified
- Our ballistic shelters incorporate MIL-A 46100 Ballistic Steel for the fronts and sides of the shelters. This material is difficult to obtain, and more difficult to work with. Nobody else in this industry makes claim to use this material, though it is the premier bullet proof steel available.
- Our ballistic shelters come with an optional “window” in the door. The window has been tested at Texas Tech to withstand F-5 impact for tornados and also has the same or higher traits as the MIL-A-46100 steel used on the shelter front and side walls.
- Our shelters are the only ballistic designed shelters available that allow the size and configuration (straights, “L” shape, “U” shape, etc.) to be changed in the field. This means a school can enlarge or shrink the size of the shelter in years in which classroom attendance increases or decreases in size.
- Minimum 15/16” diameter solid steel hinge rod running the full height of the door – surrounded by 1 ¾” diameter steel hinges, 3/8” thick. This assures the ability to always open the door as it the hinge is simply not able to be damaged by impact to the degree that it would prevent the door from opening.
- Minimum of 3, 15/16” dia steel door locking bolts
- The door and shelter meet ADA requirements…something we don’t believe other providers have.
*Hide-Away shelters/safe rooms provide two levels of protection from armed intruders. The standard units (folding and stationary) are made of 1/4” thick steel to provide NIJ Level IIIA protection against hand guns and shotguns, which make up 90% of violent crimes, according to a Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report. If you want protection from high caliber and armor piercing rounds, you can order the Ballistic Option, which uses military grade steel that is used in combat vehicles to provide NIJ Level III protection up to 7.62 NATO rounds (.308 caliber).
Mennonite Disaster Service installed 15 Hide-Away storm shelters to give local residents safe haven from tornadoes and high winds from storms that frequent the plains. The Hide-Away storm shelter has been tested to withstand up to an F-5 tornado. Each is anchored to a concrete pad and made of quarter inch thick steel.
