disposing of OOD flares

[CaptTom]

I've heard from some folks that their local police department had a way to dispose of ordinance and was willing to accept expired flares. YMMV.

I know if you ask the CG, they'll send you to the fire department, and many fire departments will send you to the CG.

The CG Auxiliary used to take flares for training, until the lawyers figured out that to train with expired flares was a liability and shut the program down.

[Kanook]

Our local Chandlery here in Ottawa accepts them. I bought new ones from them and asked about disposal and they said they will take care of the expired ones.

[StuM]

OP is in New Zealand.

From the authoritative source:
https://www.maritimenz.govt.nz/recre...ess-flares.asp

Expired flares must be disposed of appropriately. You can hand them in to:

• your local police station
• harbour police
• sea rescue headquarters
• the Ministry of Defence
• a life raft service station

Do not incinerate old flares or put them in the rubbish. If they ignite, they can cause fires, injury or burns.

[Calif.Ted]

I've been retired from the FD over ten years and it pains me to say I don't remember what our official policy was or even if we had one, but if a guy showed up at the door with a bucket of expired flares I'd take them.
I'd never want to have someone ask me "So Captain, Why didn't you accept the pyrotechnics from the person before they .......?"

[NevisDog]

Originally Posted by StuM

OP is in New Zealand... You can hand them in to:
your local police station
harbour police
sea rescue headquarters
the Ministry of Defence
a life raft service station...

Thanks for information Stu, should have looked there first. In our current location (Opua) none of the above are within a day's walk from here (well, 2hrs+ each way to nearest police). Nothing's straightforward in NZ, maybe in our next port...

[fxykty]

Originally Posted by NevisDog

I tried searching for an answer but failed: what's to be done with a stack of very outdated flares (some from as far back as 1980s)? I guess this is almost an annual requirement for some but our recently acquired boat has so many old flares/smokes it could be considered a safety hazard.



(With Guy Fawkes in a few days, I hoped the cruising club might use some in their fireworks display but they don't seem keen.)

Take them to your local police station - they are treated just like disposed firearms.

[wolfgal]

I did a Safety at Sea course last year (that was really and truly fantastic! I learned so much! so much!), and people were invited to bring their old flares.

When the time came, we all stood on the dock, and there was a presentation on each and how it worked, and then the class was invited to volunteer to try them.

There were NOT enough flares. Everyone wanted to try them (the women especially).

Not everyone feels comfortable with different "dangerous" things (i'm uneasy with electricity and things pyro too), so facing that 'fire' fear would have been good for me.

Needless to say, I was frustrated out of my wits, because there were not enough flares.

[Martkimwat]

Originally Posted by Noisykate

There have been stories of cruisers being fined PER FLARE for any found out-of-date in Portuguese waters.

That applies to France as well

[NevisDog]

Originally Posted by wolfgal

...Needless to say, I was frustrated out of my wits, because there were not enough flares.

Yea, seems so wasteful to just bin them. I'd rather find some proper use for them, even if it means carrying them for a while. I hope eventually some boating club or other may want them for practice.

In France and Portugal, not allowed to carry your OODs aboard? Does this apply only to visiting yachts, or are local yachts subjected to this tyranny too? My boat was sailed here from Italy, with all this lot aboard!

[wolfgal]

Originally Posted by NevisDog

Yea, seems so wasteful to just bin them. I'd rather find some proper use for them, even if it means carrying them for a while. I hope eventually some boating club or other may want them for practice.

In France and Portugal, not allowed to carry your OODs aboard? Does this apply only to visiting yachts, or are local yachts subjected to this tyranny too? My boat was sailed here from Italy, with all this lot aboard!

Hmmm... I should know the answer to this question. I really should, but do not I'd need to find out what these rules are, but, off the bat, i'd say you cannot have them aboard here.

These rules were not addressed as i did the Safety at Sea class when i was in the States last year. ---I've attempted to get into a similar class here, but no one answered my requests.... I love France, but how it can be complicatedly cartesian (my apologies to the Frenchmen/women, ...who actually probably agree).---

Boatman61 would know about the laws in Portugal.

[anacapaisland42]

Does this apply to flares in excess of the required amount or just to the number of flares required by law.
Bill

Originally Posted by Martkimwat

That applies to France as well

[hellosailor]

In the US, you are required to have certain pyros onboard that are in date. IIRC the USCG issued a clarification letter several years ago after a number of complaints about excess pyros that were outdated. As the laws are written, and as the USCG now polices them, you can carry anything you please as long as you have the mandated pyros (in date) on board. Excess pyros are no one's business except your own.
Since pyros are damaged by moisture and oxygen, they be carried in a hermetically sealed container (like a metal ammo box) anyway. My old pyros are in one that's painted dayglo orange with a prominent label that says what it is, and that it is HERMETICALLY SEALED and not to be opened except in emergency.

Now in other venues, the law may differ. I'm told that in Portugal, ALL pyros on the boat must be currently dated. Dunno, I'm not there.

[NevisDog]

I may as well pass on this information as it was a real eye-opener for me. I walked 3km along the disused railway to the middle of a mangrove swamp to fire off the oldest flares and find out if they worked or not. 2 misfires from 8 rocket flares (fired horizontally so as not to alert anyone) and these all manufactured between 1983 and 1997 (4 year life) - not bad. But the 8th firing exploded backwards (well, both directions equally actually). Because it was a ring-pull type (not one of the safer lever type) firing mechanism, my right hand bore the full brunt, lifting the flesh off my middle finger down to the bone then hitting me full in the stomach like a kick from a mule.

No way will I gift the remainder to any boat club for practice, not now I'm typing this with one finger. If such a misfire had happened in a liferaft, consequences could have been dire. The power of these explosives astonished me from the very first, I hadn't expected such force. Some flares even continue to burn for fully several minutes after hitting the water and sinking. A true learning experience, though I'd much prefer to learn this sort of thing from others.

In future:
- I will ensure both ends of any flare are pointed in a direction to do least harm;
- I will choose lever firing mechanism over ring-pull, metal tube over plastic;
- I will stand back and watch others at any future demonstration of flares being fired.

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by NevisDog

I may as well pass on this information as it was a real eye-opener for me....., my right hand bore the full brunt, lifting the flesh off my middle finger down to the bone then hitting me full in the stomach like a kick from a mule.......

Yikes, I trust it will heal OK....
Thanks for the heads up!

[CaptTom]

Originally Posted by NevisDog

I may as well pass on this information as it was a real eye-opener for me.

Thank you for sharing! I've done a number of training and demonstration flare shoots, and found that most of the expired flares work fine. But a few will misfire. We almost took out a lighthouse with an expired SOLAS flare.

I've also been involved in searches where flares were used. The wimpy "recreational" grade flares, while meeting the minimum requirements for coastal, non-commercial boats, are not likely to attract much attention from more than a mile or two away.

Once you've seen the difference between those and "real" SOLAS flares, you'll never buy the wimpy ones again (except maybe to stay legal.)