Lost in WA Scrub

[backcreek]

Hi all,
Here's a short story from an on line 4x4 magazine that is relevant to what we do. Good advise and notice the cost of activating the PLB.

http://unsealed4x4.com.au/u4x4/issu...ne&utm_campaign=Unsealed+4X4+060+-+Send+4#119

Cheers
Mick

 

[grubstake]

I reckon if Shane had thought to light a smoky fire at the campsite, Damo would have found his way back a lot sooner!

 

[Jaros]

Yep,and handheld UHF radios etc--MUSTS out there.

 

[Anolphart]

Much easier with a small hand held GPS. I mark my car's position EVERY time I leave the car to go 'tecting even though I may not intend to go beyond the sight of the car, sometimes ya just do, and even in the GT the scrub can be thick enough to get lost very quickly.

 

[Nightjar]

I reckon if Shane had thought to light a smoky fire at the campsite, Damo would have found his way back a lot sooner!

Have a couple of out of date marine smoke flares in the van for this very reason.

 

[Ded Driver]

I reckon if Shane had thought to light a smoky fire at the campsite, Damo would have found his way back a lot sooner!

Have a couple of out of date marine smoke flares in the van for this very reason.

I too have been carrying a couple of old smoke flares in my recovery kit for a while, but I took them out at the start of 2018 summer with concerns over the safety of them with age. Does anyone have any experience or knowledge on the safety of these as they age?

 

[7.62marksman]

Out of date flares are considered explosives under the "Dangerous Goods Act" and whilst the marine authorities cant fine you the police can.

Flares are defined as explosives. In NSW the handling of explosives is managed by Workcover Authority of NSW. Flares are designated as approved explosives in the NSW Register of Authorised explosives.

The holding and use of flares is governed by the Explosives Regulations 2005. Within that regulation there is no requirement for a person to hold an explosives licence for distress signals (Clause 50) However, clause 73 of the regulations imposes the requirement that a person cannot use a distress signal other than as a distress signal without a pyrotechnics licence. Clause 90 to 92 cover the disposal of explosives which in essence say that they can only be disposed of by authorised persons.

It is of note that in the document Operational Conditions Fireworks for pyrotechnics and single use licence holders paragraph 5.1 explicitly states that expired distress signals are not authorised explosives.

In summary flares are authorised explosives while within date, no licence is required to hold in date flares, they can only be used in the event of an emergency.
Out of date flares are not authorised explosives and you must hold a licence.

All flares have an expiry date located on the flare and must be replaced on or prior to that date.

When flares are out of date there are no guarantees they will fire properly or safely when needed.

After the expiry date on a flare is past they are an unauthorised explosive. Once expired the flares must be handed in to a police station

 

[Rockhunter62]

"In summary flares are authorised explosives while within date, no licence is required to hold in date flares, they can only be used in the event of an emergency."

To cut a long story short, just carry flares that are still up to date.

Cheers

Doug

 

[madtuna]

Teds over due and nights setting in...unfortunately I can't set off a flare as they are out of date

 

[Greenhornet_au]

Teds over due and nights setting in...unfortunately I can't set off a flare as they are out of date

LOL, pretty much anything gets wavered if you are out to rescue or save a human life, and what you do is not harmful to anyone.

Personally I would do any thing needed.

A lot of these things like expiry dates are there to indicate there presumed 'best before' so that the item is reliable to use,
nobody would know what conditions the flares could have been kept in, especially the manufacturer, so a 'use by' or 'expiry'
is provided.

You would be surprised with medications, and some types of food preservation.

Not that I advocate carrying around old flares etc, I DONT !

It is about common sense use of items.

 

[madtuna]

Goldchaser and I were involved in a search for a missing prospector a bunch of years ago (sadly never found) and I remember being interviewed by a paper and asked about safety etc...
One of the things I mentioned was having matches or a lighter in your kit not just to keep warm at night but to make a signal fire - light at night, smoke during the day.

The day after the article was printed, the W.A. Police had printed in the same paper that under no circumstances light a fire due to fire restrictions and the risk of bushfire.

 

[goldtrapper]

Teds over due and nights setting in...unfortunately I can't set off a flare as they are out of date

Looks like Ted's stuffed!

 

[Greenhornet_au]

LOL, with all due respect, are they really that uncaring and stupid concerning a life and death situation.

I would be careful, but start a fire I definitely would do, as smoky as I could make it, as big as needed.

Such a pc society and nanny safe, that statement in the "article".

Goldchaser and I were involved in a search for a missing prospector a bunch of years ago (sadly never found) and I remember being interviewed by a paper and asked about safety etc...
One of the things I mentioned was having matches or a lighter in your kit not just to keep warm at night but to make a signal fire - light at night, smoke during the day.

The day after the article was printed, the W.A. Police had printed in the same paper that under no circumstances light a fire due to fire restrictions and the risk of bushfire.

 

[Ded Driver]

yep, I think the verdict here is to go to my nearest boating shop to buy a couple of new signal flares, find out where to dispose of the old ones, & get some news on local laws regarding carry, storage & use. :bomb:
Cheers for the input people :Y:

 

[Guest]

Gday

If you are out prospecting/camping with others then you need to sit and have a discussion when you get there and formulate a plan in case one of you gets lost, because if the other people don't know what is going on or are newbies then you stand little chance that they might look for you or for that matter even know how critical it is to find someone quickly if they are lost, the first responders are the people who are with you on the ground so make a plan, keep in touch by radio, also if you can try to be aware of what direction they have moved in or tell each other which way you plan to go when you are leaving camp, , the police and searchers will take some time to mobilise and get on the ground and by that time it can too late as past events have proven, most importantly be responsible and protect yourself by making sure you always carry your water,radio,plb,gps, and with the camp or vehicle logged in to it.

Take it from me when things go wrong you will be glad that you bothered to carry all this gear, you may never need it and carry this stuff for years but when and if things go pear shaped for you it can make all the difference, there is nothing like first hand experience of getting lost and then luckily walking away from it to make you very aware how quickly things can deteriorate and the situation becoming a life threatening one.

cheers

stayyerAU

 

[Baldy]

My advice is to ditch your Minelab harness and replace it with a small back pack..You can pack it with essentials..But dont Go silly..UHF,Phone ,Or IPad.Loaded With Hema or something similar..Water,Compression bandage .Fruit bars,Matches..And thats about it..Make sure you know where the roads or tracks are in relation to your camp in case things go pear shape and your last Hope is to walk out and cross a road ..Ive got a little mapping compas that lives in the back pack as well..

 

[Guest]

i agree with u baldy i have a kids back pack, but the trouble now I've put my pick on my back because 7000 sensitivity to the pick mmmmmmmm

 

[sand surfer]

hi ded driver, i think most tackle store's take out of date flares,and dispose them for free,the tackleworld here has a bin to put them in, i am not sure about boating stores or bcf,hope this helps :beer:

 

[Jaros]

Coast Guard also have a couple of bins for flares to be disposed of.

 

[Nightjar]

Thanks for the advice fellas, will have a rethink about the "out of date" flares.
We both carry Garmin Rino's and when we park the van up the first exercise is to update the position waypoint. Before we walk away from the vehicle we update vehicle position.
We also calibrate the Rino's after a long trip, they sometimes get 180 out of whack, we experienced this on first trip with them, since regular calibration have never had a problem.