Care with EPIRB disposal

AMSA is urging boat owners to dispose of expired and unwanted personal locator beacons and EPIRBs correctly.

A beacon that is dropped into general waste or general recycling can be activated accidentally and with authorities taking every beacon signal seriously, the response process consumes precious time with the risk of diverting attention away from genuine emergencies.

AMSA (Australian Maritime Safety Authority) recommends that batteries be removed from each device and the device, whether unwanted or expired, should be disposed by the following means:
Contact your local battery supply store. Some charge a small fee which may be credited to a battery purchase. Contact your local maritime safety organisation, VMR, or similar group; or check with your local council.

EPIRB registration stickers to cease in September 2015.

The issue of registration stickers for each EPIRB will no longer be supplied by AMSA from September 2015. Registration of your EPIRB will only be confirmed by a printout of a confirmation email or a smartphone text message. It will be your responsibility to carry this confirmation with your device for proof of registration to authorities such as the water police.

Visit the AMSA website for full details: http://beacons.amsa.gov.au/news-archive.asp