Flare TestingThe US Coast Guard Auxiliary & LA County Fire Department conducted a FlareDay Sunday, May 16th, in Marina del Rey andRedondo Beach With thepermission of the US Coast Guard. A variety ofboaters and other interestedparties lit off over 500 flares and smokedevices under close supervisionand guidance. Over 20 simulated fires wereextinguished with boat fireextinguishers. Several EPIRBS of various makesand models were tested. By far, learning the differences of varioustypes of flares was mostinformative. Hand held flares burned a longtime but were the messiest andmost dangerous, dripping hot phosphorous.People learned under controlledconditions how to hold the flares and lightthem without damaging their boatdeck or injuring themselves. Flares shot from a 12 gauge flare pistol hadsome altitude, but little hangtime and intensity. Of all the flares, thesewere clearly the leastdesirable. Next year, I will shoot off all my12 gauge flares anddiscontinue using them, even as back up. Flares shot from a 25mm flare pistol were muchmore effective. Higheraltitude and greater intensity. 25 mmparachute flares (7 inch long shell)were the best of the Olin brand flares. Hangtime and altitude andintensity far exceeded any of the other Olinflares. However, for offshore excursions (more than 3miles from land) SOLAS gradeflares have the highest probability of beingnoticed. We shot off severalKilgore, Proteus 111 parachute rockets. Thesereally were rockets! Theyhad large gaseous exhausts and could severelyinjure or kill someone ifhandled improperly or accidentally dischargedat a person. Altitude, hangtime, and intensity far exceeded any otherflares observed that day. Itkept going and going and going.... The firingmechanism is complex. Iencourage any potential future users who havenot fired a SOLAS parachuteflare to join us next year for flare day andtry it under supervision andguidance. SOLAS is an international approval standard farexceeding US Coast Guardstandards. SOLAS stands for Safety of Life atSea and is the standard usedin the international merchant shippingindustry. SOLAS flares are much more expensive thanothers. Considering that yourlife, the life of your friends and family andthe rescue of your boat are atstake, I consider them an excellent investment. It is against the law to shoot off a red flareunless you are requestingemergency assistance. However, white flaresare a different story.According to a representative of the MarineSafety Office of the US CoastGuard in San Pedro, white flares can be lit anytime legally. They aredesigned primarily for anti-collision!!! Inother words, if you are out inyour vessel at night and you are not sure ifanother vessel can see yournave lights - fire off a white flare to makeyour where abouts known. By the way, many (most) of the flares utilizedwere expired. Some wereexpired by as much as ten years. Most lit offok. The expired smallestones misfired the most. Even some waterdamaged flares lit off ok. Youneed to have at least the minimum requiredflares unexpired to be legal, butyou can have as many expired flaressupplementing your legal flares as youwish. The expiration date is more aboutguaranteeing functionality even ifstored improperly, Which explains why olderflares go off just fine most ofthe time, but don't satisfy the legalrequirement. Before you shoot off an older flare (or anyflare for that matter) youshould inspect it for apparent serviceability.In other words, if thewrapper is torn and the plastic is cracked, itmight burn you pretty good ifyou light it. If you've never lit off a flare, you shouldattend a flare day. You willlearn a lot. The annual scheduled flare day isin May, during National Safe Boating Week. |
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