Boaters can get rid of expired flares and learn proper flare etiquette this Sunday.

The Nansemond River Power Squadron and other experts will accept expired flares at Gatling Pointe Yacht Club in Smithfield from 2 to 4 p.m. Stations will be organized on the pier to collect them. Power Squadron members will also provide free boat safety checks for those with vessels.

NRPS commander Frank Brown recalled how fire stations would collect expired flares for extinguisher practice years ago. That’s no longer the case, making collections such as this necessary.

“We’ll be there, ready to help them learn the proper safety methods to burn them,” Brown said.

Each flare will only last up to three years. Boaters with expired flares may be fined, but that doesn’t compare to the risk of having several expired flares in the same space.

“They would have to have some type of ignition, but if you had a group of them in an area and a fire occurred, it would exacerbate the situation,” Brown said.

Experts will guide attendees on handling both handheld flares and flare guns for those that want to learn under careful instruction.

“If you never ignited a flare or operated a flare gun, this will give you the opportunity to do it in a safe manner,” Brown said.

Call 279-0812 or email commander@nrpowersquadron.com for more information.