Whether it's your job to head into a smoke-filled building, treat injured individuals at the scene or make roadside improvements, there's always one overarching safety concern: Motorists who speed by your work area. This issue is especially prevalent for emergency workers and law enforcement officers attending to vehicular accidents and other roadside incidents.

To create a distraction-free environment that allows you to focus on your job, traffic cones are immediately deployed at the scene. Their presence - bright orange and encircled with reflective strips - catches motorists' attention, especially when coupled with signage and lights.

Whether to replace your existing set or upgrade to a space-saving solution for your vehicle, explore all safety cones and traffic kits available at Fire Safety USA.

Safety Requirements for Traffic Cones

Shop around, and you'll find all types of traffic cones - small to large, in different colors and sometimes featuring specific markings.

For firefighters, emergency personnel and other roadside crews, traffic cones follow the recommendations set forth by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways (MUTCD). Specifically, safety cones used to alert motorists to traffic pattern changes, temporary road detours or roadside crashes must stand at least 28 inches in height and be spaced closer in inches than the speed limit. For example, safety cones must be placed 50 or fewer inches apart in areas with a posted 50 MPH speed limit. In addition, two reflective bands added toward the peak of each cone improve nighttime visibility.

Design Characteristics of Safety Cones

Emergency crews use DOT-compliant traffic cones to divert traffic around their work area or call attention to an obstruction - for instance, an accident or a dangerous patch of pavement.

Because motorists will be driving right past the road cones:

• They're ideally made of a durable plastic or rubber material that bounces back into shape if a car drives over the cone.
• Bright orange traffic cones plus silver reflective strips can be seen at a distance and serve as a clear warning to drivers.
• Their stackable design results in an easy-to-deploy and arrange barrier, making them preferable to barricades.

With these points in mind, two types of traffic cones have been developed for emergency workers:

• Traditional or pop-up safety cones, which have a solid, pointed shape and are stacked on top of each other.
• Foldable safety cones, popular among emergency personnel, as they require fewer square feet inside an ambulance or van, are less bulky and offer the same setup and visibility characteristics of pop-up cones. FIRSTGARD's foldable cones continue to set the standard.

Order Traffic Safety Cones From Fire Safety USA

Are your safety cones looking a little worn? Have motorists driven off with them? Are you looking to replace your pop-up cones with a foldable solution? Fire Safety USA considers every objective and roadside or industrial environment prioritizing worker safety. Browse pop-up and foldable safety cones now before placing your order online, through our call center or via our direct fax line.