EMS Fire Police Flare SceneThe PowerFlare LED Safety Light is very durable and is a recommended item to add to all your vehicles.
PowerFlare Constant On
Steve and I put this product to the test by running the lights over, smashing them onto concrete, and submerging them for extended times. Despite the torture, the PowerFlare lights still function as they did the first time out of their convenient bag.

The LED beacon is an alternative or compliment to the combustible flares commonly used. The two combined will provide a safer scene for responders and those involved in an incident. The PowerFlare is very bright, waterproof and durable. With ten flash patterns and an option for rechargeable or CR123 Lithium battery, the safety beacon can be used in a long list of scenes and scenarios. Everything on the roadway from collisions, collision investigation/reconstruction (as it is safe around fuels), checkpoints, personnel tracking and many other scenes. Infrared LED beacon is also available for SWAT/SORT, stakeouts, clandestine operations, and marking suspect sites/vehicles. Search party/team and triage color-coded areas are other possibilities with the various LED color options and outer shell color choices.



Standard flares have several disadvantages to an LED Flare – they burn out in twenty or thirty minutes, can create a fire hazard themselves, and can injure or burn. Two weeks ago, a sole medic I know arrived first on scene to an altered mental status patient in a vehicle on the parkway. The medic went to light the standard combustible flares from the back of the fly car and the flares would not ignite! The flares had deteriorated, and every strike cap would not light the flares. With the PowerFlare, even in day light, the LED pattern is visible to drivers and lasts longer than multiple layered flares.

PowerFlare rotating on leaf

I like these LED lights for their safety features:

  • Quickly deployed onto a road – no flare to setup or light
  • No hazard from LEDs – no one gets burned from lighting or potential fuel hazard (also better for environment)
  • Selectable pattern or all on bright.
  • Stays on – no need to layer flares or re-light (that jack-knifed tractor trailer is not going anywhere soon)
  • Durable – if a rubbernecker runs one over, no need to worry about their safety or damage to their vehicle from burning flare

The PowerFlare is a small item, at approximately four inches in diameter, but nonetheless a valuable addition to your vehicle. As long the batteries are good/charged the LED will perform in the most inclement weather and be durable to last longer than the flare companion. At approximately $50 (up to $60 depending on LED color) per battery powered beacon, the light will pay for itself, possibly at one incident, over the necessary flares required to burn in its place.

We have several (new) PowerFlares to give away – please complete the form (expires 11/30) and we will mail the LED beacons to the winners in December.

FluThe CDC has guidance for EMS and emergency service first responders on management of individuals with suspected and confirmed H1N1 (Swine Flu).

The CDC site also has several tools for planning purposes.  As we reviewed this site, it prompted several question we had not thought about such as crew sharing and extra coverage when providers had sick family members.  Can we triage patients with Influenza Like Illness (ILI), and tell them to stay home and ride it out?

In addition to the CDC guidance and recommendations, there is a FluTracker map application highlighting cases of the pandemic:
h1n1_us

Again, be proactive. Make sure your personnel are immunized as soon as possible. Make sure you have stocks of mask, hand sanitizer and disinfectant. If this virus blossoms there will be a run on supplies.

Generally we are ready to battle with any situation. Even though it should not be, this is different. Remember, your ICS plan just needs to be expanded to include all of the stakeholders.

Lastly, if you don’t know the answer ask… no need to re-invent the wheel!

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