Block Party and Street Fair SafetyBlock Parties are way to bring neighbors together and way to have TONS of fun, however safety is often forgotten. Hundreds of people each year get badly hurt at block parties due to common sense mistakes and lack of proper safety knowledge. When you are at your next block party or drive by one, look at how many kids there are riding bikes up and down the block, taking pony rides, writing on the street with chalk. They are having too much fun to think safety. This is why it is up to you, to do the right thing. Take this advise from a former 10 year fireman and owner and operator of a site called the blockpartyhome. I have seen many crazy things while attending block parties over the years. Many people block off their street with garbage cans and some tan rope. Sometimes they will park a car (which is not smart either if you are on a blind turn). These simple steps will ensure a much safer environment for your next party.1)You want to make sure that both ends of your block as well as all side streets are completely closed off with visible traffic devices. Get a count of how many road block you need.2)Buy some traffic road blocks. Traffic devised can be hard to find if you are not in the construction industry, but you can get them for a decent price if you look around. You will want bright colored traffic devices like you would see at construction sited and where road work is being done. This is what drivers are trained to look for. You see a bunch of bright orange cones and some caution tape, it gets your attention. You see a beat up garbage can in the road, you think it blew there and you next thought is to drive around it. 3)The way I would set it up would be to have at least 2 or 3 high traffic cones or construction barriers with reflector tape all around them. They should be placed evenly across the roadway. You should also get a roll of caution tape (like police or fire line, but says caution) I would then wrap the caution tape about 5 feet above the street level across the block at the corner. You can tie it to trees or stops signs. Be creative.4)Next you should have some type of clearly visible and bright colored sign stating "Road Closed"Again, do this at both ends, and all intersections on the block.5)If your party will run into the night (which most all of them do) you will want that reflective tape around the road blocks and some sort of blinking light. There are light up wands that stick right on the top of traffic cones that are perfect.If you are a block that has block parties year after year, the up front expense is shared by everyone on the block. These items last for many years. Remember think safety first.