Humble Beginnings

Safe-T-Proof was founded in 1992 on the simple notion of protecting children. With two babies at home and Mike Essrig and his wife at work, the thought of an earthquake hitting and his not knowing if his children were safe was frightening. Mike was very young when the 1971 Sylmar quake struck and he remembers barely escaping serious injury when a huge bookcase fell in his path. Those thoughts followed him over the years so when he had his own children, he decided the time was right to get prepared.

He secured every stick of furniture in his house, installed safety latches on every cabinet, and added an automatic gas shut-off valve. When he finished, he had such peace of mind that the idea of doing this for other people seemed to be a worthy and much needed service. He did his homework and – with a little encouragement from his friends – the company was born.

Slowly but surely the business expanded from preparing homes to servicing businesses, schools and hospitals. Then it was all put to the test on January 17, 1994. At 4:31 a.m. the ground shook and everything he had previously said and done was on the line. By the time the phones were back up, he knew he was in the right business. His phone began ringing off the hook with calls from clients thanking him for what he had done. Everything he had fastened held and the emergency kits were a life saver.

However, he wasn’t quite ready for what came next. The media picked up Mike's story and the phone calls became overwhelming–300 to 500 calls a day, seven days a week. People lined up around the block waiting to buy fasteners and emergency supplies from his garage! His house was converted into a showroom and for months he was inundated with customers. This is what launched Safe-T-Proof into what it is today: the leading disaster preparedness company of its kind, with his services and products used and sold worldwide.

Our Clients: Over the years, Safe-T-Proof has had the honor of serving hundreds of top-quality companies such as ARCO, AT&T, Boeing North America/Rocketdyne Division, USC, Cal Tech University, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, City of Hope National Medical Center, Hewlett-Packard, Johnson & Johnson, MGM Studios, 20th Century Fox Studios, Veterans Administration Hospital, Walt Disney Studios, MCI WorldCom, NTT and Toshiba in Japan, and much more. We have also developed good working relationships with state and federal regulatory agencies such as OSHPD, OSHA, OSA, FEMA and OES.