Emergency signalling

[Longstrider]

I hope this is in the correct section .....

I recently had a chat with a helicopter pilot who used to fly an Air Ambulance. He and I are both shooting men and conversation tripped towards the fact they we (and many if not all good bushcrafters) often find ourselves in the absolute middle of nowhere wearing drab khaki clothing or cammo gear making us hard to see.

He told me that if called to a remote spot of countryside the pilots greatest friend would be a smoke grenade as it offers both a locator and an indication of wind speed and direction on the ground. There's a reason the military use them for such

I have since found that red smoke grenades can be bought very cheaply from no-end of fireworks retailers who operate all year round (Google it apparently LARPers use them etc ) and have added one to my own kit. I have vacuum-packed mine to keep it dry even if submerged. At about 60g in weight you will barely ever notice it's there, but if you ever need it you may well be glad you spent a fiver or so on it. Getting quicker help for you or a badly injured friend ... priceless.

 

[stonepark]

More useful today is either a marine radio and channel 16 or DMR radio tuned to mountain rescue freqs .

Bear in mind whilst an emergency, with the increase in legislation about fire in wilds, your smoke bomb is an incendiary device.

 

[slowworm]

At a slight tangent, I wouldn't mind knowing the legality and where to source a couple of proper smoke signals. The air ambulance is often sent to emergencies around us and we have a suitable landing field for us and the locals in a more wooded valley.

 

[stonepark]

At a slight tangent, I wouldn't mind knowing the legality and where to source a couple of proper smoke signals. The air ambulance is often sent to emergencies around us and we have a suitable landing field for us and the locals in a more wooded valley.

Marine Chandlers are often best source but not cheap.

 

[Pattree]

When I asked here if anyone carried flares (sometime last year) the idea was 100% rejected but that didn’t stop me buying a pair

 

[Longstrider]

These are smoke grenades, not flares.

Slowworm ... A quick Google shows a couple of retailers in Devon (I searched 'Fireworks Devon). That, and a couple of phonecalls might be fruitful.
Also a hell of lot cheaper than those you'll get from a chandlers.

 

[Danceswithhelicopters]

I would agree on a smoke flare being effective but only use SOLAS (Safety Of Life At Sea) approved, not fireworks. They are available at yacht chandlers to the public and there are no restrictions on possession apart from criminal usage. A flare is carefully designed to function safely in hand or on raft with a known length of burn.

SOLAS ones can be hand held with an insulated handle (no dropping things in a life raft) and a Day/ Night double ended version is my carried preference. About £50 a pop. Smoke one end and a flare at the other which also produces a handy amount of smoke.

Offshore kits have a multiplicity of mandated signals though. Think of them as a system for you last chance of being spotted and include either miniflares and/or hand held parachute flares and multiples thereof as you are a very small target. You only have 2 bites at the cherry with a single unit.

Obey the sell by dates. I've seen failures to fire on out of date ones. I wouldn't go cheap as literally your life may depend on it.

 

[TeeDee]

When I asked here if anyone carried flares (sometime last year) the idea was 100% rejected but that didn’t stop me buying a pair

To be fair , you do have the legs for them...

 

[Longstrider]

1. Who mentioned flares ? Not I.
2. The smoke grenades I bought were less than a tenner each. I have vac-packed them individually to prevent water ingress. They are perfectly lawful to possess and to use.
3. I hoped the info, and the idea, might be of help to someone who, like me takes such matters 'on board'.
4. I was not discussing SOLAS equipment (of which I am very aware). I was talking about offering a helicopter pilot useful info when landing on solid ground.

 

[Toddy]

@Longstrider

I read your post and thought, "Oh, practical. A good thing ".....and I thought to buy to put into my husband's kit for when he's off solo hillwalking (he's 81) as a just in case, as something to give peace of mind.

It never occurred to me that they might in any way be a fire hazard.

Indeed, how much of one are they likely to be ? I know a flare is, and that the smoke bombs used by military stay really hot, hot enough to burn the hand, for a while after use, but are these ones ? has anyone actually tried one out ?

That's my only concern about them.....because even with all the rain we've had recently, there are warnings out about fire on our hills already this year.

M

 

[Pattree]

Flares smoke quite adequately to be spotted by helicopters. The RNLA use a single flare type - simultaneous flare and smoke - in their dry suits.

That’s what I carried

Edited to add:
No fire danger at all. You hold them in your hand until they are exhausted.

You sometimes see them misused at festivals in crowds and burns are very rare, let alone fires.

 

[ONE]

More useful today is either a marine radio and channel 16 or DMR radio tuned to mountain rescue freqs .

Most of the analogue FM Baofeng radios available on Chinese sites will give you marine Ch. 16. MRTs are largely digital these days.

As a caveat, using one on that frequency outside of a genuine life or death emergency is likely to put you in as much legal difficulty as the smoke/flare.

Edit - My personal recommendation would be a strobe. It avoids any legal shennanigans.

 

[plastic-ninja]

Strobe is a very good shout I think. The only advantage from the smoke grenade would be to indicate wind strength on the ground.

 

[TeeDee]

Before people start sourcing and pricing up emergency signalling items maybe best to be honest and ask yourself if you actually carry that first aid kit into the field when you do go out.

Because if you are not carrying the FAK then I think there is even less chance you will be carrying the specific emergency Flare/Smoke grenade/Strobe ( unless its in with(in) the FAK )

Or maybe I am missing something?

 

[FerlasDave]

More useful today is either a marine radio and channel 16 or DMR radio tuned to mountain rescue freqs .

There are no “mountain rescue freqs”. All UK teams are on digital, closed comms channels.

 

[stonepark]

There are no “mountain rescue freqs”. All UK teams are on digital, closed comms channels.

MR indeed do indeed have frequencies, digital or analogue.

My understanding is that MR do use encrypted radios for internal Comms, however a function of those radios is that they will still pick up and repeat unencrypted communications unless they have been programmed not to.

Given issue of accidents to Comms gear happening, it would be poor practice not to retain the ability to hear unencrypted communications on their channels.

 

[FerlasDave]

MR indeed do indeed have frequencies, digital or analogue.

My understanding is that MR do use encrypted radios for internal Comms, however a function of those radios is that they will still pick up and repeat unencrypted communications unless they have been programmed not to.

Given issue of accidents to Comms gear happening, it would be poor practice not to retain the ability to hear unencrypted communications on their channels.

You’ll find they’re all encrypted. So if you move onto their frequency and try and contact it won’t work without the correct equipment. As someone else has already stated you’ll get into a lot of trouble if you manage to contact them on a closed channel.

The main point is; If a team is using radios it’s because they’re already operational, in which case they’re probably already looking for you which means you (or someone else) has already reported you to the authorities. There’s no man sitting in a mountain rescue base listening to white noise just incase someone happens to radio them. This is not Hollywood.

Anyway, let’s get back to the OPs topic of smoke signals.

 

[Falstaff]

Not a lot of mountains or marine around my way, and if you are in the woods (lots of those), then a smoke bomb or possibly a flare will not help.
Whilst I do like the idea of a strobe, and am tech adverse, the techy thing of what three words location app is your best help in the UK. Whoever comes to find you can sort out the medivac situation.

 

[Laurentius]

More useful today is either a marine radio and channel 16 or DMR radio tuned to mountain rescue freqs .

Bear in mind whilst an emergency, with the increase in legislation about fire in wilds, your smoke bomb is an incendiary device.

I should not worry too much it is neither a curved sword or a hexamine block.

 

[TeeDee]

I should not worry too much it is neither a curved sword or a hexamine block.

How about a hexxy block that's been carved into a sharp pointy shape?