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"Call for help" redirects here. For the TV show, see Call for Help.

A distress signal is an internationally recognized means of obtaining help. In Social psychology, the everyday concept of helpfulness is technically defined as (1 the property of providing useful assistance and (2 friendliness evidenced by a kindly Distress signals are commonly made by using a radio, displaying a visual object, or making noise from a distance. Radio is the transmission of signals by Modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible Light.

A distress signal indicates that a person or group of people, ship, aircraft, or other vehicle is threatened by grave and imminent danger and requests immediate assistance. A ship /ʃɪp/ is a large vessel that floats on water Ships are generally distinguished from Boats based on size Use of distress signals in other circumstances may be against local or international law. International law is the term commonly used for referring to the system of implicit and explicit agreements that bind together nation-states in adherence to recognized values and standards

Contents

Maritime distress signals

Distress signals at sea are defined in the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea and in the International Code of Signals. The International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea 1972 ( COLREGS) are published by the International Maritime Organization (IMO and set out the "rules The International Code of Signals (INTERCO is a signal code to be used by merchant and naval vessels to communicate important messages about the state of a vessel and the intent of its They must only be used where there is grave and imminent danger to life. Other urgent signals should be sent using a pan-pan message. A call of pan-pan means there is an emergency on board a Boat, Ship, Aircraft or other Vehicle but that for the time being at least there

Distress can be signalled by any of the following means:

In addition, distress can be signalled using automated radio signals, such as from an Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB). The hertz (symbol Hz) is a measure of Frequency, informally defined as the number of events occurring per Second. High frequency (HF radio frequencies are between 3 and 30 MHz. The radio frequency of 2182 kilohertz (kHz is the international calling and distress frequency for voice maritime communication (radiotelephony on the marine MF bands Morse code is a Character encoding for transmitting telegraphic information using standardized sequences of short and long elements to represent the letters numerals Early developments Before the development of radio communication in the early 1890s seagoing vessels had already adopted a wide variety of visual and audio distress signals using A flare, also sometimes called a fusee, is a type of Pyrotechnic that produces a brilliant light or intense heat without an Explosion. For other meanings see Foghorn (disambiguation. A foghorn or fog signal is a device that uses sound to warn vehicles of hazards (or of the In the field of Search and Rescue (SAR distress radio beacons, also collectively known as distress beacons, emergency beacons, or simply beacons

If none of the above are available, attention can be drawn by anything unusual, such as a jib sail hoisted upside down. A jib (also spelled jibb) is a triangular Staysail set ahead of the foremost mast of a sailing boat

Flags

Inverted national flags are no longer commonly used as distress signals. A national flag is a Flag that symbolises a country The flag is flown by the government but usually can be flown by Citizens of that country as well It is difficult or impossible to determine when the flags of many countries (such as  the United Kingdom or  Argentina or  Italy) are inverted, or the viewer may not be familiar with the flag and may not realise it is not upright. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Argentina topics. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest If a national flag is all that is available, distress may be indicated by tying a knot in it, making it into a wheft. KNOT (1450 AM) is a commercial Classic Country music Radio station in Prescott Arizona, broadcasting to the Flagstaff - Prescott [1]

Aviation distress signals

The civilian aircraft emergency frequency is 121. The aircraft emergency frequency (also known as guard) is a Frequency used on the Aircraft Radio band reserved for emergency communications 5 MHz. Military aircraft use 243 MHz (which is a harmonic of 121. In Acoustics and Telecommunication, the harmonic of a Wave is a component Frequency of the signal that is an Integer 5 MHz, and therefore civilian beacons transmit on this frequency as well). Aircraft can also signal an emergency by setting one of several special transponder codes, such as 7700. A transponder is an electronic device that produces a response when it receives a radio-frequency interrogation

A "triangular distress pattern" is a rarely-used flight pattern flown by aircraft in distress but without radio communications. The standard pattern is a series of 120° turns.

Mountain distress signals

The recognised mountain distress signals are based on groups of three (six in the UK). A distress signal can be 3 fires or piles of rocks in a triangle, three blasts on a whistle, or three flashes of a light, in succession followed by a one minute pause and repeated until a response is received. Three blasts or flashes is the appropriate response.

In the Alps, the recommended way to signal distress is the Alpine distress signal: give six signals within a minute, then pause for a minute, repeating this until rescue arrives. The Alpine distress signal is a distress signal in the case of mountain emergency an emergency in alpine areas A signal may be anything visual (waving clothes or lights, use of a signal mirror) or audible (shouts, whistles, etc. ). The rescuers acknowledge with three signals per minute. To communicate with a helicopter in sight, raise both arms (forming the letter Y) to indicate "Yes" or "I need help" and stretch one arm up and one down (imitating the letter N) for "No" or "I do not need help". If semaphore flags are available, they can possibly be used to communicate with rescuers. Flag semaphore is a system for conveying information at a distance by means of visual signals with hand-held flags rods disks paddles or occasionally bare or gloved hands

As a plot device

In works of fiction false distress calls from a ship are a common plot hook, usually used by pirates or other antagonists to lure would-be rescuers into a trap. This is a clichéd device in space-faring science fiction, notably the various incarnations of Star Trek, in which Starfleet vessels (among others) are required by law, and most independent ship captains tend to feel morally obligated, to render any assistance they can to a vessel in distress. A cliché (from French, klɪ'ʃe or cliche is a phrase expression or idea that has been overused to the point of losing its intended force

See also

References

  1. ^ Flying flags upside down

External links

In addition to Distress signals like Mayday and Pan-pan, most vessels especially Passenger ships use some emergency signals to internally alert the crew The Global Maritime Distress Safety System ( GMDSS) is an internationally agreed-upon set of Safety procedures types of equipment and communication protocols used Since early in the 20th century the radio frequency of 500 Kilohertz ( 500 kHz) has been an international calling and distress frequency for Morse The Emergency Alert System (EAS is a national warning system in the U Mountain rescue refers to Search and rescue activities that occur in a mountainous environment although the term is sometimes also used to apply to search and rescue in Most countries' Amateur radio licences allow licensed operators to install and use radio transmission equipment while at sea
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