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PCOC Boating Test: Flares and visual distress signals

Rocket parachute, multi-star, hand and smoke flares, their heights and burn times, expiry and storage, electronic visual distress signals, disposing of old flares and other recognized distress signals.

  • 15 questions
  • Topic drill
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Flares and visual distress signals · Question 1Score 0/0

When should you use an orange smoke signal?

Study reference: Safe Boating Guide (TP 511E, 03/2026), Ch. Getting started — Visual signals, pp. 24–25

All 15 questions in this test

Every question and its answer choices. The correct answers and explanations appear when you take the test above.

  1. When should you use an orange smoke signal?

    1. Only from shore
    2. Only in daylight
    3. Only in thick fog
    4. Only at night

  2. What must you carry along with an electronic visual distress signal device used in place of flares?

    1. A second flashlight
    2. Six spare batteries
    3. An approved smoke signal
    4. A rocket parachute flare

  3. Your flares are 5 years old. What is the safe way to get rid of them?

    1. Fire them off over open water on Canada Day
    2. Ask the distributor how to return them
    3. Drop them at a fire hall
    4. Sink them in deep water

  4. Your multi-star flares launch only one star each. What must you do to meet the requirement?

    1. Carry one extra flashlight
    2. Replace them with smoke signals
    3. Nothing; one star is enough
    4. Carry twice as many cartridges

  5. It is getting dark and a search plane is circling overhead looking for you. Which signal is best suited to help it find you?

    1. A dye marker
    2. A hand flare
    3. A buoyant smoke signal
    4. A hand-held smoke signal

  6. You are about to fire an aerial flare in a strong wind. How should you aim it?

    1. Into the wind, at 45° or less
    2. Toward the nearest boat
    3. Downwind, at a low angle
    4. Straight up, at 90°

  7. How long does a buoyant smoke signal produce orange smoke?

    1. About 3 minutes
    2. About 50 seconds
    3. About 10 minutes
    4. About 30 seconds

  8. How long does a hand flare burn, at a minimum?

    1. 1 minute
    2. 5 minutes
    3. 4 seconds
    4. 10 seconds

  9. How long are pyrotechnic distress flares good for?

    1. 10 years from manufacture
    2. 2 years from the date of purchase
    3. 4 years from the date of manufacture
    4. Until the package is opened

  10. Why is firing off expired flares on a calm summer evening a bad way to dispose of them?

    1. It is allowed only on holidays
    2. It is a criminal offence
    3. They will not ignite after expiry
    4. It voids your boat insurance

  11. Which sound signal indicates distress?

    1. Two short blasts repeated
    2. Three short blasts on a horn
    3. One prolonged blast every 2 minutes
    4. A continuous sound from a fog horn

  12. Which flare rises to about 300 m and drifts down slowly under a parachute?

    1. Multi-star rocket flare
    2. Rocket parachute flare
    3. Smoke signal
    4. Hand flare

  13. How should flares be stored on board?

    1. Upright in a cool, dry place within reach
    2. In the trunk of your car
    3. Loose in the bilge, where they stay cool and dark
    4. Next to the engine to stay dry

  14. Which arm movement is a recognized distress signal?

    1. Raising and lowering outstretched arms
    2. Holding both arms straight up and still
    3. Pointing repeatedly at shore
    4. Waving one hand side to side

  15. What should you do when lighting a hand flare?

    1. Hold it over the deck, upwind
    2. Hold it clear of the boat, downwind
    3. Look straight at it to aim it
    4. Drop it in the water first

Flares and visual distress signals: key rules to remember

Our summary of what the official handbook says on this topic, in our own words. Read it before or after the practice questions above, then check the original chapter. Read the official chapter ↗

Watertight flashlights and distress flares

  • Check flashlight batteries before every trip; it may be your only signal if you lose power.
  • Buy flares with a Transport Canada approval stamp or label. Flares are good for 4 years from the date of manufacture (stamped on each flare).
  • Store flares within reach, upright, in a cool dry place (e.g. watertight container).
  • Use flares only in an emergency when there is a chance they will be seen. Fire aerial flares at an angle into the wind; in strong wind lower the angle to 45 degrees at most.
  • Rocket parachute flare: single red flare, about 300 m (984') high, slow parachute descent, seen from ground or air, burns at least 40 seconds.
  • Multi-star flare: 2 or more red stars, about 100 m (328'), burns 4-5 seconds. Single-star types: fire 2 within 15 seconds of each other, so carry double the cartridges.
  • Hand flare: red hand-held torch; limited visibility from the ground; best for helping air searchers find you; burns at least 1 minute. Hold clear of the boat and downwind; don't look directly at it.
  • Smoke signal (buoyant or hand-held): dense orange smoke, 3 minutes (buoyant) or 50 seconds (hand-held); daylight only; position downwind.

Electronic visual distress signals and disposal

  • An eVDSD may replace a watertight flashlight or pyrotechnic flares if it meets RTCM Standard 13200.0, has an English and French label saying so, has English and French instructions/manuals, and is carried with a Transport Canada-approved smoke signal.
  • Distributors must have a flare disposal plan and accept returns of expired flares they sold.
  • To dispose of expired flares, contact the distributor.
  • Never: fire them in a non-emergency (criminal offence); soak or sink them (pollution); throw them in the garbage (explosions have injured people); drop them at Coast Guard bases, police or fire halls.

Reference card: distress signals

  • Radio: 2182 kHz (MF) or channel 16, 156.8 MHz (VHF); DSC alert on channel 70.
  • Other signals: EPIRB, distress cloth spread on cabin/deck or flown from mast, arm signal (keep raising and lowering outstretched arms), code flags N over C, a ball over or under a square, flares, dye marker, flashlight, continuous sound from a fog-signalling device, a signal gun or explosive signal at one-minute intervals.

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