MARIGOT--French-side sea rescue service SNSM has appealed once again to the population to never launch distress flares unless there is a real emergency, as several teams including SNSM and police, Gendarmes, are deployed immediately to investigate, for nothing.
On Sunday, April 1, 2018, at around 10:00pm a witness reported seeing two red distress flares fired between Mullet Bay and Cupecoy. It was difficult for the witness to determine exactly the location from his land position in the Lowlands. Territorial Police from the French side also confirmed to the regional surveillance centre CROSS that they had seen distress flares in the same area.
SNSM’s rigid inflatable boat Rescue Star went to investigate the area and issued a Mayday Relay on Channel 16 VHF. At the same time the Curaçao maritime rescue coordination centre (MRCC) was also notified and the St. Maarten Police Force sent a foot patrol to search the coast.
Having left Fort Louis Marina, the four crew members of SNSM were called back by CROSS when St. Maarten Police confirmed the incident was a false alarm as some pranksters had fired the rockets from the beach for fun.
SNSM, however, thanks the witness, who really thought it was a distress situation, for reporting it to CROSS which is the correct procedure when red rocket fire is seen.
“We will continue to go out every time we are called for an emergency at sea. But it would be much appreciated if the number of false alarms caused by people who don’t realise the inconvenience they are causing, could be reduced,” SNSM said it its release.
