SafeStride

SafeStride exists to protect the people who protect us. Our mission is to improve visibility and awareness for firefighters and roadside workers by creating simple, rugged technology that helps prevent struck by accidents. Too many first responders and workers are injured or killed each year because others cannot see them in dangerous environments. SafeStride is built to change that by giving them an added layer of visibility where it matters most so they can go home safely to their families every night.

Every year in the United States firefighters and other roadside responders are killed or injured while working highway incidents. In the last five years alone, more than 500 roadside workers have been struck and killed by vehicles, with dozens of those being firefighters. Roadway incidents are now one of the leading causes of firefighter deaths. Many of these tragedies happen for a simple reason, responders are not visible enough to drivers or even to other crew in chaotic scenes. Smoke, darkness, weather, and drivers create environments where responders are extremely hard to see. Current safety solutions mainly rely on reflective gear or lighting from emergency vehicles. While those tools help, they are clearly not enough. Reflective striping says it in the name, it is reflective. That means it only works when light hits it. In other words, it is reactive, not proactive. Apparatus lighting also does not always illuminate the exact area where firefighters are moving or working. When responders step away from the truck or move around an incident scene, visibility can drop quickly. As well as inside burning buildings, the problem becomes even more clear. Smoke rises, which means clearest visibility firefighters can see is often closer to the ground. Yet most lighting solutions today are mounted on helmets or chests, not at the level where firefighters can still see each other. This is the exact gap SafeStride was built to solve. SafeStride is a boot mounted visibility device designed specifically for firefighters and roadside responders. Because it sits at the ankle, it provides light exactly where visibility still exists in smoke filled environments and where drivers can detect movement sooner. Instead of relying only on reflective materials, SafeStride creates proactive visibility that moves with the responder. The need for a solution like this is significant. There are over 1.1 million firefighters in the United States alone, along with hundreds of thousands of police officers, construction workers, tow truck drivers, DOT, highway maintenance workers, etc. who face those same visibility risks. Preventing even one serious accident can save families, cities and departments hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills, legal fees, lost staffing, overtime, etc. But the real reason this matters goes beyond the numbers. I grew up around the fire service, my dad is a fire chief and I have seen firsthand the risks firefighters take every time they respond to a call. Every firefighter and roadside worker has a family, a team, and a community depending on them to come home safely. Because when it comes down to it, how can you put a price on a life? SafeStride helps make sure they are seen, so that more of them make it home. Thank you.