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Distress flares

When you're out on the water, flares are a good means of communicating distress if the trip goes badly wrong.

Flares are pyrotechnic devices that come in three types – parachute flares, which ignite after a rocket has carried them skyward; handheld flares, which create an intense bright red flame; and smoke flares, which have a plume of orange smoke that is highly visible from a searching aircraft.

Any flare is only useful if it can be seen by someone who can give help or alert others. Because each flare burns only for a short time, you should try to maximise the chances of your flare being seen. There are some simple things you can do to ensure your distress signal is as effective as possible.

Types of flare

Ensure you're flare ready

Firing flares

Disposal of old flares

Flare demonstrations

Types of flare

There are three main types of flares, with different options available for each type:

Orange smoke – effective as a line of sight distress signal for daytime use only.

Red handheld – effective as line of sight distress signal by day and night, and very bright, with a good visibility range. These are very visible from an aircraft, and burn for up to
60 seconds.

Red parachute or rocket – capable of attracting attention in daylight for up to 10 miles, with a night-time range of up to 40 miles. The rocket launches the flare up to 300m and the flare burns for 40–60 seconds as it slowly descends under the parachute.

Ensure you're flare ready

• Read and understand the firing instruction(s) for your flares before you need to use them, as you will not be able to read the instructions in a distress situation at night, when emergencies often occur.
• Store your flares in a waterproof container, or in a dry designated area below deck – and make sure passengers and crew know where they are and how to use them.
• Check the expiry date of your flares regularly, and replace flares before they expire.
• Dispose of your date-expired flares appropriately (see disposal of old flares).

Firing flares

• If you have multiple flares, fire only one flare as soon as you realise you are in distress. Keep other flares until you need them, and use them to attract searchers' attention. Often you will see a searching aircraft or boat, and that is the time to fire the next flare. Bear in mind that it is very difficult to fire a flare if you are in the water.
• Always hold the flare to leeward outside your boat when firing. Flares burn with extreme heat, and can easily damage your boat or life raft if used incorrectly.
• Fire parachute flares downwind – never into the wind – preferably at a 15–20 degree angle off vertical.
• Never set flares off unless you are in distress, or at a properly organised demonstration training session. Misuse of any distress signal is a criminal offence.

Disposal of old flares

Out-of-date or time-expired flares must be disposed of appropriately, by handing them in to your local police station, to harbour police or sea rescue headquarters, or to the Ministry of Defence or a life raft service station. Do not incinerate old flares or put them in the rubbish. If they ignite, they can cause fires and parachute flares fired horizontally are very powerful and can cause serious, even fatal, injuries and burns.

Flare demonstrations

Coastguard Boating Education holds flare demonstration and training exercises from time to time around the country, using flares that are close to their expiry date.

These exercises are co-ordinated with appropriate national and local authorities, and official approval must be sought from the Director of Maritime New Zealand through the Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand at least 2 weeks prior to the demonstration (in accordance with Maritime Rule 23.48(5)). It is the responsibility of the requester to inform all relevant parties, as outlined on the approval form.

Demonstrations act as a training session for new recruits to Coastguard, and for boat owners – so they appreciate the importance of carrying flares and learn how to use them. Distress situations often occur at night and the ability to operate flares by feel when no light is available is a skill needed by all who carry flares as a means of distress communication. They are also a good way for people to see first-hand how flares work, and the effectiveness of different types of flares.