Handheld flares

Digy123

Hello lads,Iv recently taking up night hiking/Mountain jogging. I love doing my walks at night,in my bag i always have a first aid kit,phone and flashlight with spare batteries aswell as some hydration

One thing iv always wanted is a Flare,just incase i really need help.
Its also been something i wanted for my BOB (Small time prepper)

Are these flares legal in Ireland? and if so,where can i get some?

Carawaystick

I've seen handheld flares for maritime use.
They're heavy. They burn reallll hot. even underwater, so you can't quench them til they're burnt out.

They would be a completely unacceptable fire risk in irish mountains.
They are impossible to get rid of legally, you often hear of the bomb squad being called to deal with expired ones

NathanKingerlee

We carry small lightweight flares on the mountains for some of the safety work we do, in the event of directing in a rescue chopper or rescue team in bad conditions.

You can get a lovely lightweight flare legally from any sailing/maritime store. They do have a best before date, at which stage you dispose of them. These are not rocket flares I'm talking about but a very bright burning handheld flare, that you hold up high with a glove on until it has finished it's burn.

I would suggest though that a mobile phone, map, compass, gps, head torch and spare batteries are much more effective ways of avoiding trouble and getting help if needed.

If you set off a flare for help someone needs to see it in the short five mins it burns for; realise you are asking for help; then remember approx where you were signalling from...

Pat Mustard

McMurdo Fast Find 220.

Anyone tried this particular beacon?

il gatto

I'd just use a second, really bright torch with a strobe setting. Of course that's no use if you're immobilised/trapped out of view of civilisation.
You could get a rough collie, call it Lassie, and then train your family to interpret her barks. "what's that girl? Digy123 is trapped in the old mineshaft?".

Pigeon Reaper

The Mustard wrote: »

McMurdo Fast Find 220.

Anyone tried this particular beacon?

I have a PLB but have never used it. They do work as long as the battery is alive. It may take a few minutes for the alarm to be raised via a PLB so if possible another method of communication should also be used. They are not as useful at the North or South Poles either.

A strobe light can be most useful if you are in distress and trying to guide help into your location. Just tell them to look for the flashing light. Some day signals like a big orange emergency bag is great when searching for someone. Often the problem isn't finding people but finding and identifying the correct person. A signal that can be seen from a distance can cut the time to first contact by a few minutes in the daytime and more at night. Do not under estimate the value of a good clear location and description of an incident. With a good location you will be found even without any other communication. A good description means any equipment needed can be prioritised.

I regularly use flares and can't recommend them for use on land. There's currently debate within the sailing community as to their effectiveness compared to other technologies. When we handle them we have to treat them as explosives. If surrounded by gorse or bushes in summer I would rather not use a flare.

You also need to ask if someone saw a flare inland would they react correctly? Chinese lanterns, sodium street lights etc can also resemble flares so unless the viewers angle is optimal they may not even realise it's a distress signal.

Given a choice and taking weight into consideration I'd take an extra layer or bivy bag over flares any day if going out hiking.

il gatto

That's very true. Living overlooking the sea, I know what a flare looks like and what it means. Someone who lives inland might not make the connection.