A white colored ground tornado shelter in Texas

What Government Certifications Must a Safe Room Meet?

Storms and tornadoes leave behind tragic stories. The loss of life and property after the tremendous havoc is immeasurable, not to mention that the people who survive are sometimes left with nothing but despair.

Wondering of possible ways to overcome the intensity of damage brought about by violent tornados? The storm shelter industry helps residents by providing above-ground tornado shelters and underground safe room shelters.

To build an aboveground or underground tornado shelter, there are certain government certifications that the safe room must meet.

ICC 500

The door of a safe room is one of the most crucial components. Besides the roof and the walls, a door must comprise similar strength and offer complete protection. In addition to that, the door must be easily accessible.

To ensure the functionality of the door and its durability, during extreme weather conditions, a safe room needs to comply with ICC 500. This certification is the standard for the design and construction of tornado shelters.

The certification involves proof of testing, the listing of endorsed parts of the assembly, and a follow-up for inspecting the company’s product and processes.

ANSI-Approved

ANSI-approved standard includes construction and design requirements of the safe room’s structural system so that it can withstand heavy winds, tornadoes, and hurricanes.

To ensure safe refuge, it also provides health and life-saving requirements like means of lighting, egress, ventilation, sanitation, floor space, and fire safety in the storm shelter.

Thunder lightning during a tornado in Plano

FEMA

FEMA stands for Federal Emergency Management Agency and it provides guidelines for the design and construction of both commercial and residential safe rooms.

Safe rooms have been around since 1988 and to date, not even one failure is registered against safe rooms that are constructed under FEMA guidelines.

The manufacturers who implement FEMA’s safe room guidelines in their construction and designing process provide guaranteed safety against extreme weather conditions.

The safe room designs that follow by FEMA guidelines fulfills the ICC/NSSA 500 design criteria. Changes made by ICC 500 and FEMA are then tested at an authorized laboratory, like Wind Science and Engineering Research Center at Texas Tech University. Verification from all these together offers the highest level of shelter quality.

If you’re in search of high-quality above-ground safe room shelter, then contact us for a free shelter quote right now.

Our safe rooms meet FEMA guidelines and have cleared the Texas Test Impact test. Our services will help protect you and your family.

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