White parachute flares

O

Ohlin Karcher

N/A
Joined
20 Jun 2019
Messages
1,385
Location
Odessa
Visit site
These look very useful, to help find an MOB or any time you need some extra light. Looking for a rock and your torch fell in the water? Up goes the white rocket.
Ship heading your way, ignoring your torch? Supposing he ignores the h/h white flare? White rocket!
There are many other potential uses. They are very expensive unfortunately, even more than red ones for some reason.
One use springs to mind: training people to use red rockets. As white ones are not distress signals, but just extra illumination, it woukd be a good, if pricey, way to give crew the experience of letting off a rocket.

I have never let off a white rocket, has anyone tried it, how bright are they really?
Would they help find a rock, in practice?

Is someone going to say tsk tsk, it might be mistaken for a distress? True, it might. Then hopefully there would be an MCA/RNLI press release and ( more importantly) Facebook post, informing the public of the vital difference between the two.
 
I don't think having random members of the public letting off serious pyrotechnics in uncontrolled circumstances is generally a good idea.
Better to encorage people to carry a spare torch.
 
They have been around for years they are not new.

They are used for warning ie collision avoidance or they could be used as an answering signal to red parachute flares, you could also use them for illumination for a MOB.

Firing of red or white flares is likely to end up with joe public calling 999 they will not know the difference.
 
Like red rockets, they still burn when they hit the ground so potentially are very dangerous in the wrong hands and in the wrong place
 
I'm sure the good people at 999 will know the difference. Well, let's hope they do?
 
Buy a night vision devise, they can be bought for less thank £100, certainly second hand. I got one on here second hand, great bit of kit.

I have used white hand heads and their illumination area is impressive, would imagine a rocket is better.
 
RNLI lifeboats have carried them for years, for use in searches. Not sure they'd be good for picking out a single rock, you'd be better off with a bright torch.
But they are good for illuminating a wide area. We always notify the CG when we're about to fire one, as they get swamped with 999 calls.
 
"Like red rockets, they still burn when they hit the ground so potentially are very dangerous in the wrong hands and in the wrong place
Read more at http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?526335-White-parachute-flares#mKqYZ8XQ4DqXo7sm.99"


This is why RNLI now only allows their use more than a quarter of a mile from the shore.
There was an incident one summer's night a while back with a search close inshore under cliffs, involving a white parachute flare, some dry grass and the fire brigade.

But it wasn't me.
 
Last edited:
lw395 said:
I don't think having random members of the public letting off serious pyrotechnics in uncontrolled circumstances is generally a good idea.
Click to expand...

I agree with what you say. However I do think that if we are obliged to carry red flares and make them part of our MAYDAY equipment (which coded boats were - don't know about now) then we should be permitted to practice using them in a responsible manner.

It annoyed me, when I ran a sailing school, that the MCA wouldn't allow us to do so in any circumstances.

Maybe white flares are an answer.
 
Barnacle Bill said:
I agree with what you say. However I do think that if we are obliged to carry red flares and make them part of our MAYDAY equipment (which coded boats were - don't know about now) then we should be permitted to practice using them in a responsible manner.

It annoyed me, when I ran a sailing school, that the MCA wouldn't allow us to do so in any circumstances.

Maybe white flares are an answer.
Click to expand...

Because it was my job, I have instructed the use of flares and let off 100s.

It has only served to convince me that in anything but trained hands, the danger of flares outweighs their value.

Rather than flares, I would advocate the use of non-pyrotechnic devices and like automatic firearms, restrict flares to use by qualified professionals.
 
nortada said:
Because it was my job, I have instructed the use of flares and let off 100s.

It has only served to convince me that in anything but trained hands, the danger of flares outweighs their value.

Rather than flares, I would advocate the use of non-pyrotechnic devices and like automatic firearms, restrict flares to use by qualified professionals.
Click to expand...

Given the non trivial risk of using flares I'm not sure I'd want to fire one, let alone 100s, you have my respect. They should be used in emergencies only IMHO. I fired a few in the Army and I'm not convinced that "training" has any benefits beyond read the instructions carefully.

https://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/2425606.faulty-flare-victim-thanks-hospital/
 
SimonFa said:
Given the non trivial risk of using flares I'm not sure I'd want to fire one, let alone 100s, you have my respect. They should be used in emergencies only IMHO. I fired a few in the Army and I'm not convinced that "training" has any benefits beyond read the instructions carefully.

https://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/2425606.faulty-flare-victim-thanks-hospital/
Click to expand...

As someone once told me........parachute flares are perfectly safe, as long as you remember that they're blo*dy dangerous.
 
Ohlin Karcher said:
These look very useful, to help find an MOB or any time you need some extra light. Looking for a rock and your torch fell in the water? Up goes the white rocket.
Ship heading your way, ignoring your torch? Supposing he ignores the h/h white flare? White rocket!
There are many other potential uses. They are very expensive unfortunately, even more than red ones for some reason.
One use springs to mind: training people to use red rockets. As white ones are not distress signals, but just extra illumination, it woukd be a good, if pricey, way to give crew the experience of letting off a rocket.

I have never let off a white rocket, has anyone tried it, how bright are they really?
Would they help find a rock, in practice?

Is someone going to say tsk tsk, it might be mistaken for a distress? True, it might. Then hopefully there would be an MCA/RNLI press release and ( more importantly) Facebook post, informing the public of the vital difference between the two.
Click to expand...

White illumination parachute flares are not very white. They are a pale orange/yellow colour and are often misinterpreted as red distress para flares resulting in 999 calls and unnecessary searches so if you do fire one please call the coastguard. The person who takes the 999 call can't always be sure the informant's colour description is reliable.

Www.solocoastalsailing.co.uk
 
Plum said:
White illumination parachute flares are not very white. They are a pale orange/yellow colour and are often misinterpreted as red distress para flares resulting in 999 calls and unnecessary searches so if you do fire one please call the coastguard. The person who takes the 999 call can't always be sure the informant's colour description is reliable.

Www.solocoastalsailing.co.uk
Click to expand...
Thanks I didn't know about the colour, as I have seen the intense whiteness of hand white flares, I assumed the para ones would also be a very white shade of white.
I wonder how often the pale orange/yellow colour has fooled a member of the public into thinking they are seeing a red flare, and calling 999, when a nice white shade of light would not have caused them any concern.
If the circumstances allow, informing the CG about a white flare is definitely a good idea of course!
 
Having let off a number of old flares in my time, I'm not convinced they are the terrible, unwarranted danger that seems to be becoming received wisdom.

No doubt they are dangerous (as are many things we do in boating), and should be handled with great care. One might even go so far as to read the instructions! (Noting that you probably won't be able to read or make sense of them in a panic in the dark, and there are a variety of different firing mechanisms, so best studied at your leisure before you get in a pickle.).

Plum said:
White illumination parachute flares are not very white.
Click to expand...

The one I saw in action (in France, IIRC) seemed startlingly white on a darkish night.

I was very impressed by the brightness and spread of illumination, too. Vastly better than a torch, I would have thought, if you were trying to find someone/something. I've long wanted to have one or two, in case of MoB or whatever, but not quite enough to forego other claims on my hard-earned.

The hand-held whites are useful, too, except that its hard to avoid dazzling yourself.
 
Ohlin Karcher said:
Nortads, could you outline the syllabus which is required to gain the flare-firing certificate, and thus become qualified?
Click to expand...

Outside of the armed forces, I am not aware of any formal training or a flare-firing certificate.

Possibly operating flares should be a mandatory part of the RYA practical syllabuses but of course, it is not mandatory to hold RYA qualifications. I suspect many RYA instructors have never fired off a parachute flare.

If suitable training and qualification was available, sale of flares could be restricted to holders of a flare operating certificate.

To be realistic, this is never going to happen.

Question, would we permit people without a firearms certificate and regular training operate guns in a public environment❓

SimonFa said:
Given the non trivial risk of using flares I'm not sure I'd want to fire one, let alone 100s, you have my respect. They should be used in emergencies only IMHO. I fired a few in the Army and I'm not convinced that "training" has any benefits beyond read the instructions carefully.

https://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/2425606.faulty-flare-victim-thanks-hospital/
Click to expand...

As with all explosives, operating them presents an element of risk (parachutes flare and mini-flares are potentially particularly dangerous) but suitable practical training can minimise this risk to an acceptable level. Begs the question, “ How many people have fired the type of flare carried on the vessel they are on?”

Additionally, there are a variety of flares available that are fired in different ways. How many skippers and crew have even read the operating instructions prior to an incident❓

Once in a state of emergency, it is too late to learn‼️

Annually, Marina de Lagos provides a flare firing exercise on the beach under the supervision of the local police. Initially, firing parachute flares was permitted but subsequently banned following a number of hairy incidents, which involved, near misses.

As an aside, many of these flares are well out of date and where as misfires are rare, out-of-date red flares often burn pink or white.

So, I stand by my assertion that, whilst flares had their day, there are now enough other, much safer, methods of requesting help and confirming your position, to consign flares to the dust bin of history.
 
Last edited:
To Nortada: thanks very much for your views. I completely disagree with your final conclusion, but everything you write also makes complete sense!
(Except the comparison with firearm licensing, which is just incendiary scaremongering).

For yacht skipper, in summary:
Learn, and discuss with crew:
The different uses of various flares, smoke and dye.
Think where they are stowed, accessibility v. protection.
Personal safety; eg gloves, igniting the yacht or lifejacket, maintaining night vision.
Talk through imaginary scenarios.
Read the instructions and handle the flares, familiarise crew with end caps, hot ends v. extending handles, triggers/pull-strings, and which way to point them (upwind/downwind, helos,etc)
Take any opportunity to let off flares for practice.

I hope they aren't banned and they will never be banned globally, but there might be misguided moves to prevent sales by UK chandlers.
To misquote the NRA.. they will have to pry my flares out of my cold, dead fingers :encouragement:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top