Epic Navigator · video

What this video covers

A 33-year-old man died in Agios Nikolaos, Crete, after accidentally firing a parachute flare he mistook for a hand flare — the incident that prompted this safety discussion on marine pyrotechnics.0:22 Alexandros Retsinas breaks down the three types of pyrotechnics carried on boats: the orange smoke canister (considered non-dangerous), the hand flare (phosphorus, causes burns but not lethal), and the parachute flare (the lethal one).0:56 The parachute flare launches a heavy metal projectile 300 meters into the air; it cannot be extinguished until its phosphorus burns out, and its labeling is small enough that it is easily confused with a hand flare.2:47 The victim apparently held the device pointed toward his body, expecting a simple flame, and was struck in the abdomen.3:19 Retsinas stresses that expired pyrotechnics become unpredictable, that no recycling or disposal process currently exists in Greece, and that discarded flares washing ashore pose a danger to children.4:06 His core warning: marine pyrotechnics are lethal weapons, not carnival props, and should be handled only by trained personnel.4:12 Confusing a parachute flare for a hand flare — made easy by similar size and poor labeling — can be fatal.1:41

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