Electronic flares vs pyrotechnics: why electronic flares are the future of distress signalling

With the array of reliable electronic safety equipment and survivor locating systems available for boaters today, Chris Hoffman, Director of Technology Strategy at ACR Electronics, says it is time for regulators to re-evaluate the need for mandatory carriage of pyrotechnic boat flares.

An emergency at sea is every boater’s worst nightmare – a boat in distress, the challenging weather and sea state, the crew cold, wet and anxious. Whatever the scenario, stress levels will be high and actions fraught with danger.

Imagine then the need to deploy a pyrotechnic flare on an unstable platform. To first fumble for a flare pack, before removing the cap and pulling the string to ignite the flare while moving hands quickly out of the way, then holding the flare overboard, ensuring it is downwind. All of this must be calmly executed with the knowledge that failure to perform these actions correctly could result in injury, or damage to the boat or liferaft keeping survivors afloat.

Pyrotechnic boat flares burn at over one thousand degrees Celsius, often emitting molten slag and sparks together with smoke and a flame – all of which can come back at the user in high winds. It is not surprising that many mariners can relate stories of burns, fires, and close calls.

Although pyrotechnics have been the accepted standard for decades and are mandated by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) for all boats over 13.7m and all commercially operated recreational boats, there are alternatives today that offer an easier and less dangerous solution in an age bristling with reliable electronic safety equipment.

EPIRBs (Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacons), AIS (Automatic Identification System) transponders, GMDSS DSC radios, and Search-and-Rescue Transponders (SARTs) will all locate the survivors to within less than 110-meter radius. Meanwhile, individuals can also wear PLBs (Personal Locator Beacons) or AIS MOB (Man Overboard) devices.

With the availability and reliability of this advanced technology, and a clear shift in the industry toward electronics as the future of distress signalling, the persistence of mandatory pyrotechnic flare carriage seems illogical.

Electronic Visual Distress Signaling Devices (eVDSDs), sometimes called electronic flares, are the future.

Pyrotechnic boat flares belong to a bygone era, when fire and smoke were the simplest way to attract attention. Nowadays, safety and environmental factors call for a change.

The safety issue

First, the safety issue is critical. The misuse, mishandling or accidental ignition of flares can have serious consequences, resulting in injury or damage to the vessel. On New Year’s Day in 2023, a Dutch sailor tragically died after setting off a flare. Additionally, flares are one-shot devices. With no way of testing, the user just has to hope that when activated, potentially a few years after purchase, they work as expected.

Toxicity concerns

Toxicity must also be considered. Most red handheld and rocket flares rely on strontium nitrate and similar chemicals that are both toxic and environmentally persistent. These chemicals present a health hazard to users and nearby people. The smoke can be full of fine particulate matter that can be inhaled into the lungs, while also irritating eyes, nose and throat.

Disposal of flares

Disposal is a serious problem. Once expired – usually after three years – they cannot be tossed in the bin or recycled. Instead, they become hazardous waste and a risk to the environment. Coastguards and police forces across Europe and the UK have been overwhelmed by the demand for safe flare disposal, with many mariners resorting to hoarding old flares in sheds or, worse, illegally dumping them.

Reliability issues

In terms of reliability, the fact is that pyrotechnic flares can fail. They can get damp, be damaged in storage, or simply not ignite when needed, or, worse still, in rare cases explode when ignited. Even when they function correctly, their window of effectiveness is fleeting, with a red handheld burning for about a minute. A rocket flare launches skyward, blazes for about 40 seconds, and then is gone.

Transportation and storage challenges

Finally, there is transportation and storage. Flares for a boat contain explosives and are therefore classified as Class 1 dangerous goods which means shipping and transportation is difficult and expensive. The same rules and regulations apply to time-expired flares. Flare canisters clutter lockers and demand careful storage away from damp conditions and potential heat sources.

Many recreational vessels carry EPIRBs, which use satellite constellations like Cospas-Sarsat, GPS and Galileo to transmit a vessel’s position to rescue coordination centres anywhere on the globe. AIS transponders broadcast a message and vessel position to every nearby ship equipped with AIS – effectively turning the entire commercial fleet and many recreational vessels into potential rescuers. GMDSS DSC radios provide voice communication to coastguards and other vessels together with their location, while Survival Craft VHF radios, acting as GMDSS portable radios, although with no locating capability, are designed to be taken from the ship into the liferaft and then used to either call for help on VHF Channel 16 or talk to rescuers. SARTs create either a radar or AIS target, allowing searchers to home in precisely on a vessel or liferaft.

These technologies are continuous, reliable, and integrated into a global rescue infrastructure. If one signal is missed, another remains active. They run for hours, sometimes days – not seconds.

Compact, waterproof and rugged, eVDSDs are simple, safe, push-button devices which emit bright strobing LED patterns visible for miles. They can operate continuously for hours, sometimes over an entire night, and many incorporate infrared strobes detectable by night-vision equipment often carried or worn by search and rescue personnel.

In all areas – user safety, environmental issues, disposal, transportation and storage – the electronic flare is an improvement over the pyrotechnic flare every time.

Setting operating lifetime aside (tens of seconds for a pyrotechnic flare compared to several hours for an eVDSD), the only other real difference between the two is that a pyrotechnic flare is always going to be brighter than an electronic flare. A hundred years ago this was an essential feature, but with all the other modern alerting and locating systems on ships today, this no longer matters. Electronic flares provide a light that can be seen from several miles away, which is more than sufficient when combined with other systems.

Though an electronic flare may cost more upfront than a set of pyrotechnic flares, the continual cycle of buying, storing, and disposing of pyrotechnics is eliminated. Over a few years, the balance tips in favour of electronics – not to mention the savings in risk and liability.

Some eVDSDs have been specifically designed to comply with the requirements of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972, as amended (COLREGs) and act as a potential replacement for some pyrotechnic devices.

eVDSDs that comply with Radio Commission for Maritime Services (RTCM) Standard 13200.0 include the ACR Electronics ResQFlare PRO and the Ocean Signal rescueME EDF2 Flare.

Currently, traditional pyrotechnic distress flares are listed in Annex IV of COLREGs as an internationally recognised signal which can be used when a vessel is in distress and requires assistance.

Where carriage of flares is not mandatory, the MCA advises that eVDSDs should not be carried as a substitute for conventional pyrotechnic flares because of the risk that they may not be recognised internationally as a distress signal.

For the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the MCA the task is simple: approve electronic flares as an equivalent carriage option and then consider phasing out pyrotechnics over a defined period.

Encouragingly, the movement is already underway. The U.S. Coast Guard’s acceptance of these devices for recreational boats and their removal of pyrotechnic flares from its cutters to be replaced by eVDSDs set an international precedent. Manufacturers in Europe and Asia are pushing for parity, developing multi-colour strobes and eFlares.

Heavily-regulated commercial shipping, namely cargo and passenger vessels of 500 gross tonnage and over which are subject to Conventions of the IMO, should lead the way. By authorising eFlares on commercial vessels, regulators send a clear message and create the volume of adoption needed to drive prices down for all.

Accordingly, it is time to establish an International Standard for eVDSDs that could be adopted by IMO and other maritime agencies, and to expedite changes to international conventions and national regulations that would allow the carriage of modern alternatives to pyrotechnic devices, including eVDSDs, instead of pyrotechnics.

Electronic flares are safer, cleaner, longer-lasting, and already proven in service. With EPIRBs, AIS, GMDSS DSC radios, Survival Craft VHF radios and SARTs already onboard, pyrotechnics no longer provide real benefit.

The sea will always be dangerous – but our tools for survival do not need to be.

Are electronic flares legal in the UK?
Currently, electronic flares are not recognised as a full replacement where pyrotechnics are mandated, although they are increasingly accepted as supplementary safety equipment.

How long do electronic flares last compared to traditional flares?
Electronic flares can operate for several hours, whereas most pyrotechnic flares last less than one minute.

Are electronic flares safer to use?
Yes. They eliminate the risks of burns, explosions and toxic emissions associated with pyrotechnics.

Do electronic flares need replacing regularly?
No. Unlike pyrotechnics, they do not expire after three years and can be reused with battery replacement or recharging.

Will electronic flares replace pyrotechnics in the future?
Industry momentum suggests a shift towards electronic systems, but regulatory approval will determine how quickly this transition occurs.