Prep Tip - Using Road Flares

The decision to use road flares (fusees) to set up an emergency perimeter around your disabled or crashed vehicle requires some careful considerations. Your safety and that of others in the immediate vicinity and those that come across your scene either by vehicle or on foot is paramount. Most people are unprepared for even minor emergencies on the road.

The use of these devices are meant to improve upon the safety of the situation - not place you in more harm. If you understand their use and feel confident in your ability to use them they can afford you some protection when experiencing a vehicle emergency. They also can make excellent fire starters if you get stuck and need a fire! 30 minute flares are best.

ICE4SAFETY previously discussed using electronic strobes as an alternative to flammable road flares and there is no reason you could not have or utilize both. If you have an aversion to flames, smoke or fire - or a medical condition that precludes you from using them, then by all means consider the electronic strobes. If others use your vehicle or you never travel alone and your partner or the proverbial good Samaritan that stops to assist is competent using flares....then get some. Remember flares are essentially molten burning metal. Read directions.

Roadways have curves, dips, ravines and hills that obstruct and limit the sight distance of drivers - both oncoming and from behind. Other drivers can be distracted while driving which can place you at even greater risk as you navigate your emergency scene or go to set up and use flares. Don't forget to use your vehicle emergency flashers as well. Having a DOT Class 2 reflective yellow vest in your car is an excellent idea.

Considerations:
- Flares can ignite leaking volatile liquid or gaseous fuel from vehicles - 100ft away is the rule.
- Proper care to ignite the flares require minimum of leather (or nomex) gloves and goggles
- Flares when lit will spit and sputter molten material and burn clothing easily.
- If you decide to assist another motorist during an emergency (very dangerous), park in front
of their disabled vehicle which might afford you some additional protection.
- Do not handle food after using flares without proper wash up - flare materials are toxic!
- Flares might be difficult to extinguish and care must be taken not to ignite other items.
- The bright light emitted by the flares can cause other-driver fixation and disorientation.
- Light from fusees is recognized quicker and is superior in both slowing traffic and detection.
- Additional flares can be ignited and deployed over time by using burning flares in position.
- Chemical Flares may be difficult or impossible to deploy if you are injured.

Flare Placement:
Flares should be positioned in a tapered pattern to direct vehicles away from behind your vehicle. Using flares on the opposite side of the roadway at the scene of a crash can help delineate the accident scene. Inclement weather (usually the accident cause) can hamper the speed of your deployment.

To determine the placement of the first flare (furthest from vehicle) use the posted speed limit - convert that to feet then multiply by a factor of 4 - (30 = 30 x 4 or 120 ft)

If the speed limit is over 50 mph, then multiply that speed by 4 and add 100 to get the distance ( 60mph = (60x4) +100 =340ft). On a curve add the distance from the bottom of the curve to the top of the curve and add to the distance calculated. A chart might help:

30 mph ----- 30 ft ----- 120 ft
40 mph ----- 40 ft----- 160 ft
55 mph ----- 55 ft ----- 220 + 100 = 320 ft
65 mph ----- 65 ft ----- 260 + 100 = 360 ft
(f/Fundamentals of Emergency Care - Beebe/Funk 2001)

If you are off the road on the shoulder out of traffic that is ideal although not perfectly safe as accident statistics and prior experience has shown us - but better than in the high speed traffic lane. Placing yourself in high speed traffic without any professional assistance in an effort to manage traffic can get you seriously injured or worse.

For a more detailed look at the various chemical and electric road safety signal devices we have a report to the DOJ 6-12-08 linked below written by the Florida Gulf Coast University Research Institute. You can make informed choices based on the report findings. http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/224277.pdf

ICE Vehicle Emergency Info Kit

As mentioned on the website blog....we now have 2x2 inch UV and weather resistant ICE Stickers to enhance your use of ICE as a Vehicle Emergency Info Kit.

This is too simple and for free (one per family) you can have your vehicle outfitted with ICE. No, the stickers won't dial out for you when the airbags deploy.... but you can purchase OnStar for that.

What this simple method does is make it even easier for responders to notice that you have emergency information on board. You won't be able to do this with those medical bracelets or the phone stickers that no one recognizes....but the bright safety colors used in the ICE Sticker will attract attention. We had it on a dozen cars the first day and we must say it does actually look good!

You just cannot miss the sticker.....suggest lower driver side rear window and driver side back window lower left corner(toward front of car).

The theme here is redundancy...we will continue to use the word to pound that message home.....never rely on any single tool for your safety preparations. You can use multiple cards and forms in various locations if you are an active person and ski, boat, hike, camp, run, bike, roller blade, surf, snowmobile walk the mall......or go off roading.....the list goes on....you're covered.

That way when you get out of your vehicle....ICE is still with you.

Here's the Drill...

• Place large sticker(s) on the front and rear exterior of your car (optimally) - don't place them in the arc of your wiper blades or where it will obstruct your view and violate traffic codes as that would prematurely wear out the sticker. (One free by SASE)


• Outfit your glove box with completed ICE Cards and self sticking clear Card Holders. (Free by SASE)


• Keep a completed ICE Card (Basic Contact or the new Medical Info Card) in your wallet. (Free by SASE)
  
• Program your cell phone (if you have one) with contact info using the E.123 Method. (Free)
  
• Affix the smaller ICE Sticker on your cell phone. (free by SASE)


• Complete a Medical Info Form (free online)

See our previous blog about vehicle emergency kit contents...it is never too late. Yes, snow will cover up the stickers under some conditions, so clean off the snow before you travel. If you remember that nothing is perfect, your life will be less stressful.

Ok, that was pretty simple.....now see if you can get this setup for free anywhere else. We will be reporting on the various other uses for this sticker in subsequent blog articles and on the website.......this will make it much easier to organize and be prepared.

Public safety agencies take note.....this will be a great tool for your community safety programs.