Disposal of Expired Flares

pmd

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Having read many different articles on the disposal of date expired flares, it is obvious that there is considerable confusion on the correct method of disposal. Some say the flares should be handed to the Coastguard, some say give to the Fire Department, some say the Police etc. etc. Hence the confusion. If anyone can advise on the correct, and legal method of disposal I would be pleased to hear from you.
 
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Give em to Forbsie , he'll wear them /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

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Along with his winkle pickers and Beatle haircut.
 
I would have thought the obvious thing to do was wait until Nov 5th and let 'em rip (Inland, of course)

Get yer moneys worth one way or another eh?
 
The correct thing is to give them to the coastguard, it is very irresponsible to let them off yourself, however far inland, and I can categorically say that that would be no fun whatsoever.

Even in Chiselhurst.

And it probably isn't the only way you'll get experience of actually doing this thing, which may one day save your life.

Oh, ok, it is fun. But it's very, very naughty.

And we're too grown up for naughty, aren't we?
 
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I suppose I was expecting to much hoping for a sensible reply to a serious question.

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I'm sorry for making you click your mouse to many times rather than getting off your arse and finding out where to get rid of your out of date explosives as soon as you realised they where out of date . /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
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I would have thought the obvious thing to do was wait until Nov 5th and let 'em rip (Inland, of course)

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That's all very well until an out of date one fails to go off, Then you are left with a pin in one hand and a time bomb in the other.
 
Or a flare embedded in your guts, still burning. Read around the forums for reference to this one, as it happened to an experienced instructor, and he spent a great deal of time in hospital, and is likely to suffer for years to come.

Personally, as long as flares are only a few years out of date, they live in a seperate poly bottle, as standbys, to the poly bottle that is in date.

Letting off hand held flares to learn how they work is OK inland, though letting off aerial flares, they can still be burning when they land, so if you in rural location, maybe OK, as long as you can guarantee they won't still be burning when then land on something, which you can't. So will it land on something you'd worry about burning? and may still cause emergency services to come looking for cause, or alert?

Why not find out where you can let off flares of all sorts genuinely? It's a real learning curve, as when I attended some of these sessions, some ladies found it hard to hit or bang the flares on a hard surface hard enough to set off the hand held flares, that the flares could burn you badly if you didn't have thick gloves on, and a burning flare dropped in a metal bucket full of water isn't enough, as the flare will keep on burning in water, and burn through the bottom

Then when you get onto aerial flares, they need to be set of into wind etc, though even with instruction, not everyone managed it first time.

There is a lot to learn, that actually setting them off gives some confidence you could do it for real.

So yes, pin and bomb, and I'm not exactly a pc concious type (years spent as as youth making explosive devices for fun)
 
When I was a lad....

I 'found' one of my fathers 12 bore cartridges, put it in a vice, and was about to hit the ignitor section with a hammer and nail.

Somebody interrupted me, and I forgot about the idea.

Lucky, in hindsight.... /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
 
Talk to your local Police Station as I believe they have an obligation to take them as considered some sort of firearm.

I did speak to mine and they even offered to come and collect!

As I would rather they concentrate on more important issues I declined the offer and the flares are still in my shed.......

This has reminded me to deal with this again

Nick
 
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