To most people, the words "safety flares" or “fusees” bring to mind the brightly flaming devices used by police to warn drivers of traffic hazards. Nearly every driver sees safety flares on the highway at one time or another. In protective applications, safety flares save countless traffic accident victims from additional accidents and injuries. Flares also warn drivers of stalled or broken-down vehicles, so everyone should carry them in their vehicles.

There are many applications for safety flares. The Coast Guard requires them on certain watercraft, and they are common at construction sites. Fire fighters use them to fight forest fires by back burning, and railroad employees use them to signal train conductors. Some people use aerial safety flares as emergency signals, and military personnel use safety flares daily. Some people even use safety flares for tasks as mundane as gopher control. When looking for safety flares, consider the following:

1. Safety flares are double edged. They can save your life or they can burn you and all your stuff.

2. It doesn't make sense to buy flares that burn longer or shorter than necessary.

3. Consider reusable safety flares.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Take precautions when using safety flares

Safety flares are easy to light. Most commonly, users light the tip by striking it with an abrasive edge found in the flare's cap. A lit flare or other hot flame can also ignite a flare easily, so never store safety flares near sources of extreme heat. Once lighted, flares are difficult to extinguish. They can cause tremendous fire damage when not handled properly. Still, when used correctly, safety flares can and do save lives and protect property.

I recommend: Find safety flares at Orion Safety Products, a major safety flares provider. You can learn pertinent safety flares information from Orion’s free emergency flare training video. You can also find safety flares at PF Distribution Center.

Buy safety flares that burn only as long as you need them

You can purchase safety flares that burn for differing lengths of time. If you usually only need a 15-minute warning signal, you'll waste a lot of money buying cases of 60-minute flares. On the other hand, if you normally need long hazard warnings, it's a hassle setting out short flares every 15 minutes or so.

I recommend: You can get 15-minute flares at Forestry Suppliers. Grainger sells flares that burn for 30 minutes.

Use LED safety flares for reusable sources of emergency lighting

Some safety flares are flameless. A recent development in safety flares utilizes battery-powered LED lighting to signal hazards rather than open-flame lighting. LED safety flares are visible up to two miles away. They are magnetic for easy attachment to metal surfaces. LED safety flares don't present the serious fire hazards of combustible flares.

I recommend: You can get LED safety flares at Northern Tool + Equipment. You can also find a safety flares list at Vat19.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  You can keep safety flares burning continuously if you need to. Lay the tip of an unburned flare near the end of a burning flare. Just before the burning flare extinguishes it will ignite the new flare. By using this procedure, flares continue burning indefinitely.
• •  Think before you light safety flares. Don't be like the guy in Arizona who wanted to help at a traffic accident scene. He nearly lit a flare next to an overturned Suburban. Pooled gasoline surrounded nine accident victims, six police officers and three truckloads of fire fighters and paramedics. The police, fortunately, ordered the man from the area before he actually lit the flare. There could have been many more victims hospitalized.