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ERBs
Vital Role of Emergency Response Beacons in Saving Live shown in this case study
The ERB, one of many installed at NSW beaches by Spectur, alerted the Surf Life Saving NSW State Operations Centre that the men were drowning.
Surf Life Saving NSW was then able to quickly dispatch a local lifeguard to respond to the situation.
According to the Byron Echo, lifeguards from the Australian Lifeguard Service were tasked to the incident at the notorious drowning hotspot at about 4.30pm on Monday 7 November, when the call came through from the distressed young woman.
Lifeguard Supervisor, Lachlan Field, said lifeguards asked for more details from the operator in the State Ops Centre but there weren’t any because one of the girlfriends had activated the beacon and she was upset and panicking.
“That’s where the beacons are life-saving because you have the location and you have cameras so you’re not reliant on the informant, you can find out for yourself whether the person in trouble has gone round the headland or not, for instance,” said Mr Field.
A member of the public took the initiative to retrieve the angel ring floatation device, which is attached to the beacon, and raced into the water to attempt to save one of the men. The second man was picked up and returned to shore by lifeguard Field aboard a surf rescue jet ski from Kingscliff.
“Those two people are really lucky, I doubt we would have gotten there in time without the beacon.
“On the phone, we may not have been able to get a location or assets there in time but with the ERB, we know the location as soon as it’s activated.”
Speaking to Channel 7 News, Steph Cooke, NSW Emergency Services Minister, said “These Emergency Response Beacons are incredible technology that genuinely save lives.
“Any way that we can support ERBs and the role they play is a worthwhile investment.”
In NSW, 20 ERBs have been rolled out to drowning hotspots across NSW ahead of the summer season, and the government has also announced $16 million in funding to buy 12 more ERBs.
Hailing the successful outcome of the rescue, Spectur MD Gerard Dyson said it was moments like these that defined the company’s mission.
“At Spectur, our mission is to make communities safer, and protecting our beaches and ensuring the safety of beach patrons is just one of the ways we do this,” said Dr Dyson.
“We’re thrilled with the outcome of this event, and are pleased that our ERBs will be protecting a number of drowning hotspots across the NSW coastline as we head into the summer season.”
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