LS10.5 EMERGENCY SIGNALLING DEVICES

Section: LS10 SAR Operations

Date: 20th September 2016

Page: 1 of 2

To provide guidelines regarding emergency signalling devices.

Surf Life Saving NSW (SLSNSW) provides the following guidelines regarding emergency signalling devices.

Introduction

People in a craft in distress may use any possible means of alerting others to their situation. These devices range from emergency radio beacons to mirrors.

There are many signals that can be used to indicate a distress or other emergency.

Personnel involved in lifesaving operations must be familiar with the types of signals they can expect to encounter in order to evaluate their meaning correctly and take appropriate action.

Most commonly for lifesaving services these emergency signals include:

• Flares

• Strobes (flashing lights)

• EPIRBs

• GPS/satellite Tracking

• Smoke

• V-sheets

• Flags

• Rescue Tubes

• Hand signals

• Marker Dye

Fluorescent sea dye marker, which stains the water a green or red colour, has been sighted as far away as 16 kilometres, with an average of 5 kilometres. However, sea dye is not visible when searching up-sun because of surface glare.

Orange smoke generating signals have been sighted as far away as 19 kilometres with an average of 12 kilometres. Smoke signals are most effective in calm wind conditions and open terrain. The effectiveness of smoke signals decreases rapidly with an increase of wind speed above 15 knots.

Pyrotechnic flares may be used in daylight; however their detectable range is only about 10 per cent of the night-time range.