Flare and Smoke Marker use near 8 Wing Trenton
29 June 2021 – 8 Wing Trenton, Ontario – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces
As the weather warms and people are drawn out onto the water and local beaches in the Quinte West and Prince Edward and Hastings County regions, 8 Wing would like to remind residents about the dangers of handling found military pyrotechnics like flares and marine smoke markers.
As a training and operations base for Royal Canadian Air Force search and rescue personnel, flares and smoke markers are occasionally dropped over Lake Ontario, including Muscote Bay and the Bay of Quinte, as well as Silva Lake and Grimsthorpe Lake in Hastings County.
Flares are used in search and rescue operations and training in order to illuminate the night sky, while smoke markers, also known as MLMs (Marine Locator Marker), are used to aid in the rescue of people on the water. While both of these devices are designed to self-destruct and sink after use, occasionally, they may wash ashore before this happens.
Both of these devices can be hazardous if they are mishandled. Please do not pick up or retain such objects as souvenirs. If you have found, or have in your possession, any object that you believe to be a military pyrotechnic device or explosive, notify local police or 8 Wing and arrangements will be made to dispose of it in a safe manner.
To report findings to 8 Wing, please call (613) 392-2811 x2232.
8 Wing Trenton thanks members of the community for their help in the safe recovery of these devices.
