Beware of flares

[Spiel]

Beware of flares / Flares contain chemical that can burn skin

 

June 28, 2008

Scott Dunn / owensoundsuntimes.com

 

 

 

Grey County OPP warn anyone who finds a marine flare washed ashore to call police rather than pick it up.

 

Every year, 424 Squadron search and rescue personnel, based in Trenton, Ont., practise dropping marine flares in a target area marked by yellow buoys offshore from Land Force Central Area Training Centre Meaford.

 

Prevailing winds and water currents push these devices east, so if they wash ashore, they’re likely to do so from Meaford eastward, said Const. Drew Wilder Friday.

 

He produced some flares which had washed up on shore and are now stored at the Meaford military centre.

 

Wilder is not aware of reports of injury by these flares. But occasionally people find one, pick it up, and in one instance, brought it into an OPP detachment in Midland when they shouldn’t have. Anyone who finds a marine flare should call the OPP, Wilder said.

 

These devices present a danger to anyone who handles them because there could be unburned phosphorus in them, he said. This chemical can still burn skin without igniting.

 

But Wilder said the big concern is the devices could re-ignite if touched or shaken. They’re designed to ignite in salt water. But for freshwater uses, salt is added to the canister to assist a battery to ignite the flare. That process could still be activated through handling, Wilder said, and the devices could explode.

 

If these flares wash ashore, it’s probably because they haven’t burned properly, an official with 424 Squadron in Trenton confirmed by phone Friday. These flares float while sending up smoke to help mark the target and indicate wind direction. A yellow flame is also visible at night.

 

They’re about 45 centimetres long and have the diameter of a baseball. They’re supposed to burn for 10 to 12 minutes before sinking.

 

They’re smaller and look similar to the magnesium flares attached to parachutes, which are dropped from search and rescue aircraft at night. These burn brightly to help rescuers see. These devices should not be handled either.