The US Coast Guard is urging people not to fire emergency flares unless there’s an actual emergency, after incidents on Friday and Saturday night in South Portland.
They are asking anyone with information about the discharge of the flares at Fisherman’s Point in Willard Beach to contact the Sector Northern New England command center 1-833-449-2407.
According to a Facebook post by the Coast Guard’s Northern New England sector, the Coast Guard and other rescue agencies responded both nights to flare sightings.
They conducted thorough searches to find possible mariners in distress. While they did find a spent flare on the beach during one search, they found no signs of an emergency or boaters in peril.
Red or orange marine flares are international signs of distress and should only be used in cases of real emergencies, according to the Coast Guard, as sightings can lead to searches lasting hours, often at night and in hazardous conditions.
“The misuse of marine flares puts our crews at risk and limits our ability to respond to actual search and rescue cases,” the Coast Guard said in the Sunday post.
