Product awareness: Orange smoke hand distress signal
- Safety Flash
- Published on 30 June 2016
- Generated on 3 November 2025
- IMCA SF 17/16
- 1 minute read
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) has published a safety alert regarding the withdrawal of the Certificate of Approval for certain orange smoke hand distress signals.
This action has been taken because the chemical makeup of the signal was changed in October 2013 without Coast Guard approval, and the signal that was manufactured is at risk of spontaneous combustion when dropped.
These smoke signals may be labelled and marketed as ‘Polar MK 4’ by NAMMO LIAB AB or as ‘IKAROS’ by Hansson Pyrotech. ‘IKAROS’ Hansson Pyrotech is the more current manufacturing name/Datrex Inc., of Kinder, La., is the only distributor for these products in the United States. There are approximately 2790 such flares with this potential defect in circulation in the USA.
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