Flameless flashing flares

NIWOT ? Old-fashioned safety flares are no fun.

Granted, incendiary signals can save lives in many emergency situations, but traditional strike flares are noxious, quick-to-burn and oftentimes dangerous to use, in addition to being expensive and environmentally detrimental.

Now, a safer alternative exists. The Keystone Group, a Niwot-based sales and marketing company, has developed a battery-operated, nonflammable safety flare that can be seen from both the ground and the air. FlareAlert, the initial product of The Keystone Group, is being used by hundreds of police and fire departments nationwide. Many airports, parks and other public institutions find the Colorado company?s creation preferable to old-fashioned flares.

Steve Jones, owner of The Keystone Group, says the company developed FlareAlert because there wasn?t an affordable option to nonincendiary flares. Since the company launched the patent-pending product in November, The Keystone Group has sold more than 10,000 units and has six distributors in addition to a handful of independent sales representatives promoting the product.

The primary attribute that distinguishes FlareAlert from standard strike flares is the unit?s use of LED lights, or bulbs that can be aimed in various directions. Without a flame, FlareAlert is weather-resistant and safe to use indoors, in high winds, near flammables and in or on a vehicle. The product does not contain chemicals or emit any smoke or fumes. Instead, FlareAlert relies on two AA batteries to emit its emergency-strength light, and the unit can last up to 20 hours in flash mode or up to six hours when producing a steady light.

FlareAlert?s selling point, however, says Jones, is that the product, 4 inches in diameter and 2 inches tall, retails for $9.95 to $14.95 per unit. ?At $9.95, it?s highly effective for (fire and police) departments,? says Jones, who adds that other manufacturers charge anywhere up to $75 for a single nonstrike unit.

?Companies like (FlareAlert) because it?s economical and environmentally friendly. It?s electronic, reusable, and it won?t be a big deal if it?s damaged or lost.?

Scott Snyder, division chief of operations at the Longmont Fire Department, says price was the primary reason why he decided to buy 24 units of FlareAlert for the city?s emergency and staff vehicles.

?Everything else I?ve seen (like FlareAlert) is really expensive and not really disposable,? says Snyder, who purchased the product in November. ?They seem to be as bright and effective, but we haven?t had any experience on the highway yet.?

Terralux, a LED manufacturer and distributor based in Boulder, carries FlareAlert and sells the unit at wholesale to other distributors across the country.

?(FlareAlert) is the best product on the market in its class,? says Carl Kalin, vice president of marketing and sales for Terralux. ?I had been looking for a product in the automotive industry, and when I saw (FlareAlert), I thought it was smaller, easier to use, and that it?d be a best-seller.?

Terralux started selling FlareAlert in January , and to date, Kalin says the company has sold hundreds, including to the electrical distributor Graybar, which in turn has supplied FlareAlert to Walt Disney World.

Jones hopes to start marketing FlareAlert to retail accounts in the near future, noting that The Keystone Group will begin targeting supply stores this spring like Home Depot, Lowe?s and McGuckin Hardware in Boulder.

Jones says The Keystone Group, fueled, figuratively, by the success of its patent-pending FlareAlert, has started developing other LED products for distribution. Over the next few months, the company will launch its second product: an LED light designed specifically for safe, nonflammable use in Halloween pumpkins.

Product development aside, The Keystone Group will continue to market FlareAlert to new accounts and other governmental departments. The company has attended four law enforcement and fire shows since launching the unit, and Jones says that he and his two other employees at The Keystone Group have a consistent itinerary of upcoming marketing events, including a local law enforcement show to be held in Denver this August.

?Our goal is to take (FlareAlert) up to a place where the company becomes profitable, and we can continue to improve the product and make it more affordable for everyone,? Jones says.