Enough is enough. Following a recent ill-intentioned distress call that occurred in Vendée, and on the occasion of the resumption of nautical activities, the Atlantic Maritime Prefecture decided to raise its voice against “false alarms triggered at sea”. A dozen voluntary false reports or unjustified distress flares are recorded each year on the Atlantic coast, deplores the authority, which represents the State of the Spanish border at Mont Saint-Michel (Normandy).
“Each time a rescue system is put in place with the mobilization of air, sea and land resources, insists Alban Simon, spokesman for the maritime prefect. The entire rescue chain is weakened because it is monopolized unnecessarily. It can be the SNSM, but also firefighters and the Civil security. It costs money, of course, but, above all, the consequences can be dramatic. Because from the moment the means are committed, they cannot be deployed for another rescue operation, possibly on land, such as a road accident. »
“Nothing had happened at all”
The latest episode dates back to April 9, near the island of Noirmoutier (Vendée). Via a VHF radio call, a sailboat is reported in difficulty and close to running aground. Distress rockets are also seen in the sky. Discussions take place with the regional emergency and rescue operations center (Cross) of Etel. Then radio silence. “We obviously assume that the calls are real calls,” explains Alban Simon. We therefore searched for several hours and even the next day to find elements. It turned out that nothing had happened at all. A police investigation has been opened. She revealed that the distress flares were not fired over water but from land. »
This case still mobilized two boats, a helicopter, two vehicles and around twenty rescuers on the ground, “not counting the staff of the Cross, that of the maritime prefecture and a medical team in preparation”, i.e. around thirty people in total. But why such acts? “There are hoaxes of all types. It’s quite incomprehensible,” said the spokesperson.
Up to two years in prison
The perpetrators, if identified, face severe penalties. “The disclosure of false information making believe in a disaster and likely to cause the unnecessary intervention of relief and punishable by penalties of up to two years’ imprisonment and a fine of 30,000 euros”, recalls the prefecture Atlantic seaboard. Lawsuits can also be initiated to make the author participate in the costs of intervention.
Much more frequent than hoaxes, false alerts may be due to erroneous observations by witnesses (floating tree trunk mistaken for a body, etc.) or poorly moored boats drifting at sea (windsurfing, etc.). Handling errors can also happen, especially with distress beacons and individual bracelets (MOB). However, these errors are most often identified fairly quickly.
Fireworks, Chinese lanterns and other lanterns can also be mistaken for distress flares by uninitiated observers. They must imperatively be reported to the authorities when they are triggered in the direct vicinity of the coast.