Using old flares for New Years Eve fireworks

[Plum]

Could you give us a few examples of that happening? By the way, I agree with everyone that banging off parachute flares inland is a bad idea.

I am aware of 5 reports of distress para flares in the last 7 years by people who knew what a para flare looked like and saw them from their houses. These cases, two of which were in a November, were all in a small area of essex, the only area i have data for. In all cases the bearing clossed a tidal river maybe up to 5 miles away so even though the likelyhood of them being fired from the water was slim, searches were carried out involving Coastguard Rescue Teams and Lifeboats. In all cases no one in distress was found and almost certainly the people who fired them had no idea how much time was wasted by the search teams.

Www.solocoastalsailing.co.uk

 

[JumbleDuck]

I am aware of 5 reports of distress para flares in the last 7 years by people who knew what a para flare looked like and saw them from their houses. These cases, two of which were in a November, were all in a small area of essex, the only area i have data for. In all cases the bearing clossed a tidal river maybe up to 5 miles away so even though the likelyhood of them being fired from the water was slim, searches were carried out involving Coastguard Rescue Teams and Lifeboats. In all cases no one in distress was found and almost certainly the people who fired them had no idea how much time was wasted by the search teams.

Www.solocoastalsailing.co.uk

Thank you for that very comprehensive and convincing answer! It's good to know that flares are still so effective. I wonder if an LED flickering out SOS in morse would get the same reaction, even if it was seen.

 

[ShinyShoe]

Thank you for that very comprehensive and convincing answer! It's good to know that flares are still so effective. I wonder if an LED flickering out SOS in morse would get the same reaction, even if it was seen.

Can you get one 300m up and slowly descending on a parachute?

 

[lw395]

Thank you for that very comprehensive and convincing answer! It's good to know that flares are still so effective. I wonder if an LED flickering out SOS in morse would get the same reaction, even if it was seen.

Probably not, as there's about a million kids with ebay torches that do that.

 

[Birdseye]

Some years ago at the new years eve party at our sailing club, someone had the bright idea to fire off old flares. We had seen it often happenb from the decks of the cargo ships moored at the nearby quay. Anyway, it got a bit out of hand as several member dredged up the old flares we are all cursed with. To our surprise they all went off OK with the exception of the very small ones designed to be fired from a pistol like apparatus. And some of the flares that went OK were near on 30 years old.

As someone has commented, the colours on the older flares were weaker

 

[Halo]

No one needs to let off fireworks. I suspect the "waste not want not gene" is embedded deep in many of us so making the most of out of date flares is tempting but why risk damage and injury to innocent people - its just not sensible - especially when you have had a few bevvies at New Year.

 

[moomba]

No one needs to let off fireworks. I suspect the "waste not want not gene" is embedded deep in many of us so making the most of out of date flares is tempting but why risk damage and injury to innocent people - its just not sensible - especially when you have had a few bevvies at New Year.

Yes indeed we are all told to abide by the firework code on the 5th of November , but come a little alcohol and flares and some bright spark holding it , I wonder how many people end up in A&E with flare burns , and a very timid middle aged man telling the nurse how stupid he was
If you want pretty lights on new years get some proper fireworks, and leave the flares were they should be and used for.
But there will still be one

 

[Laysula]

Take them to the football.
Remember it's red for Liverpool, White for Spurs and a combination of both for Arsenal.

 

[rszemeti]

All I will say is: I have owned many flares, I have never had to use one in anger, but I have "disposed" of a fair number

Everyone should try them, just to discover for themselves what they do, the experience may well be valuable at some point. I have never seen an old flare that had been dry stored fail to ignite either. November 5th is a good day for doing such things.

I tend to keep flares for much longer than their official expiry date now, I can imagine a situation where not having any in-date flares might be worrisome, but I cannot imagine a situation where I had used all the in date ones, and having 2 or 3 tubs of out of date ones was a bad thing.

 

[BelleSerene]

You would still be signalling distress where there isn't one.

However... Having seen them used Overland my biggest concern would be the 'ground' ... Or rather my car that was missed by inches, the trees that one got caught in or numerous other things...

A neighbour’s dog was apparently distressed when I augmented some fireworks with a couple of dinghy flares 20 years ago at our engagement party. Not as distressed as its owner though. I hadn’t understood that the things can fall to the ground still flaring. That was irresponsible, I regret it and I certainly would not do it again.

 

[mlines]

Someone had better tell the Army around here that its illegal then,

 

[JumbleDuck]

No one needs to let off fireworks.

Or to go sailing, or to eat cake. YOLO, dude, YOLO.

I have my New Year fireworks in. Ruddy great box. 200+ shots in 60 seconds. I only hope it's loud enough ... the neighbours are half a mile away and I wouldn't want them to sleep through it.

 

[Biggles Wader]

So how did it go? Anyone end up in the burns unit after a dodgy old flare blew up? Or was anyone rescued from their back garden in Surbiton after a missunderstanding with the coastguard?We need to know!

 

[STOL71]

So how did it go? Anyone end up in the burns unit after a dodgy old flare blew up? Or was anyone rescued from their back garden in Surbiton after a missunderstanding with the coastguard?We need to know!

I heeded the advice on this forum and did without fireworks.

 

[JumbleDuck]

I heeded the advice on this forum and did without fireworks.

I blew up a hundred and thirty quid's worth of fireworks, but didn't have a chance to get my old flares from the boat.

 

[Blue Sunray]

Someone had better tell the Army around here that its illegal then,

+1. Obviously the Armed Forces have been using parachute flares inland for as long as they have been around (and started more than a few fires), but they are also available to and used by civilians on their own land. I do suspect that the MCA are not entirely correct in their assertion.

I happened to be in a northern European port city for NYE and there were more than a few para flares visible amongst the numerous fireworks.

 

[awol]

Take them to the football.

It's a good way to get rid of old flares. The police will take them off your hands.

 

[mattnj]

Has anyone tried putting them in a metal box (ammo box) and popping them on a bonfire....been tempted a few times to get rid of the ones I have....in the middle of a 6 acre field by the way...not in a garden....always wondered if theyd find a way out!

 

[Deleted member 36384]

+1. Obviously the Armed Forces have been using parachute flares inland for as long as they have been around (and started more than a few fires), but they are also available to and used by civilians on their own land. I do suspect that the MCA are not entirely correct in their assertion.

I happened to be in a northern European port city for NYE and there were more than a few para flares visible amongst the numerous fireworks.

The armed forces are exempt from many things. The most obvious are standards for various aviation matters that are mandatory in civilian aviation and not in military aviation. It would be perfectly normal for our armed forces to fire off pyrotechnics where the public are not allowed to.

Military activities, as an example, of what the public can do because the military can do it, is very poor. I think the differences are because the Crown, via the military, can not be prosecuted, hence they have their own rules.

I think I will follow the MCA advice, but no doubt there are other regulations, should the MCA be wrong, that plod can use if they feel inclined.

 

[Blue Sunray]

The armed forces are exempt from many things. The most obvious are standards for various aviation matters that are mandatory in civilian aviation and not in military aviation. It would be perfectly normal for our armed forces to fire off pyrotechnics where the public are not allowed to.

Military activities, as an example, of what the public can do because the military can do it, is very poor. I think the differences are because the Crown, via the military, can not be prosecuted, hence they have their own rules.

I think I will follow the MCA advice, but no doubt there are other regulations, should the MCA be wrong, that plod can use if they feel inclined.

You appear to have not read my post.