12.1 Command, Control and Coordination Operations
Purpose
This SOP defines how Surf Life Saving SA (SLSSA) conducts command, control and coordination (C3) of operational lifesaving activities through the State Duty Officer (SDO), Duty Officer (DO), and the State Operations Centre (SOC).
Overview
SLSSA has adopted Command, Control and Coordination (C3) arrangements to ensure effective management of operations and appropriate coverage across all shifts. This model incorporates both staff and volunteer resources to maintain operational readiness and situational awareness at all times.
It is designed to leverage the existing Duty Officer and SOC arrangements and introduces an additional layer and formalises after-hours response arrangements through the introduction of a State Duty Officer role.
The SDO role is widely used across Surf Life Saving and is also common in many emergency service organisations. In several other states, the SDO function is embedded within the SOC to provide consistent oversight and coordination.
Within SLSSA, the role will not be embedded within the SOC, ensuring that its benefits are available across all operational areas. Like the Duty Officer, the SDO may base themselves at a SOC Surge Resilience desk if they choose to.
This approach strengthens statewide coverage, improves situational awareness, and supports more effective decision making at all times.
The SDO role provides statewide strategic and operational oversight and complements the existing Duty Officer and SOC structure. This role has been established to ensure statewide coverage. Duty Officers continue to perform critical local operational functions and remain essential to incident management.
Command, Control and Coordination Framework
Emergency management within South Australia is guided by the C3 principles model (Command, Control and Coordination), as reflected in standard inter-agency operational doctrine across SA emergency services.
SLSSA aligns its internal operational structure with this framework.
Command
Command is the internal direction of the members and resources of an agency in the performance of the organisation’s roles and tasks, by agreement, and in accordance with relevant legislation.
Command operates vertically within an organisation.
Command is performed by:
- Patrol Captain – designated patrol areas.
- Safety Officer – Surf Sports or club event.
- Duty Officer – designated area, onsite and tactical oversight.
- State Duty Officer – statewide strategic and operational oversight.
Control
Control refers to the overall direction of emergency management activities in an emergency situation.
Authority for control is established in legislation or in an emergency plan. Control carries with it the responsibility for tasking other organisations in accordance with the needs of the situation.
Control relates to situations and operates horizontally across organisations.
The control agency for all search and rescue activities is South Australia Police.
Coordination
Coordination is the bringing together of organisations and other resources to support an emergency management response. It involves the systematic acquisition and application of resources, including organisational, human and equipment resources, in an emergency.
Coordination is performed by:
- SOC Supervisor – coordination oversight and daily SOC readiness.
- SOC Operators – communications and coordination support.
Operational Structure
The SLSSA operational structure includes:
- Duty Officer – local tactical command for individual incidents and regional issues.
- Business hours – Lifesaving Department using SURF 2xx call signs.
- Non-business hours – DUTY NORTH / DUTY SOUTH.
- SOC Supervisor – coordination oversight and daily SOC readiness.
- SOC Operators – communications, logging and tasking support.
- State Duty Officer – statewide strategic and operational command.
Duty Officer – Local Tactical Command
Call signs: DUTY NORTH, DUTY MID or DUTY SOUTH.
The Duty Officer is responsible for:
- Tactical command of individual incidents within their designated area.
- Oversight of operational issues within their designated area, including support to meet LSA obligations.
- Directing resource deployment during rostered shifts.
- Conducting initial scene preservation tasks as required.
- Acting as the on-scene contact to liaise with emergency services as appropriate.
- Maintaining contemporaneous notes to record significant information, decisions, actions and requests as they occur, and providing them to the SOC for recording at the conclusion of the incident.
- Participating in shift handovers and discussing expected operational considerations.
- Leading an operational debrief as per the requirements of SOP 15.2 – Operational Debriefing.
The Duty Officer may contact the SAPOL Water Operations Unit when required. Before doing so, they should confirm whether the SOC has already initiated contact to prevent duplication.
Where practical, the SOC should be used as the primary contact point, as it captures recorded communications and is responsible for documenting instructions, decisions and subsequent dissemination. All calls are recorded.
The Duty Officer may make safety-related decisions while en route to an incident.
While en route, decisions beyond safety considerations may only be made if approved by the SDO, who may grant general command authority if required.
A Duty Officer is not typically rostered out of hours on weekdays, excluding public holidays. For out-of-hours incidents that require a Duty Officer, a recall model is used to request Duty Officer availability, as detailed in the Duty Officer Recall Workflow below.
During business hours, the Lifesaving Department will deliver the Duty Officer function. However, they will utilise SURF 2xx call signs, reserving DUTY NORTH, DUTY MID (as required) and DUTY SOUTH for volunteer Duty Officers.
SOC Supervisor – Coordination Oversight and Daily Readiness
The SOC Supervisor is responsible for:
- Ensuring the SOC is functioning, consistent and operationally ready daily.
- Overseeing coordination processes and supporting SOC Operators.
- Ensuring correct use of communication and logging systems.
- Facilitating situational awareness and information flow.
- Holding interim incident command out of hours until a Duty Officer arrives.
Note: The SOC Supervisor does not attend incidents.
The Overnight SOC Supervisor undertakes the same functions, less daily tasks, primarily for the provision of the Surf Emergency Response System (SERS) (“13 SURF”) and SOC function.
SOC Operators – Coordination and Communications Support
SOC Operators are responsible for:
- Monitoring and operating communication channels and operational systems.
- Supporting situational awareness and coordination activities.
- Supporting logging and tasking as directed.
State Duty Officer – Statewide Strategic and Operational Command
Call sign: SDO.
The State Duty Officer is responsible for:
- Holding statewide strategic and operational command.
- Maintaining oversight of critical incidents.
- Notifying Executive, including the CEO, and the Media Team of relevant updates.
- Establishing an interim media plan until otherwise directed by Executive or the Media Team.
- Exercising delegated incident expenditure authority and out-of-hours helicopter approval in accordance with SOP 9.4 – Requesting Helicopter Support.
- Assessing legislative and regulatory reporting requirements, such as those under the Work Health and Safety Act 2012.
- Assuming tactical command if Duty Officer activation is unsuccessful.
Personnel
An individual assigned to a role may not simultaneously hold any other C3 function. This applies equally to paid and volunteer role holders to maintain clarity and consistency.
Exceptions occur only when:
- the SDO temporarily undertakes Duty Officer duties to ensure continuity; or
- the SDO directs short-term dual-function coverage to address an urgent capability gap.
When a second person provides support to any of the C3 roles, the primary role remains assigned to a single individual.
The supporting person may assist with tasks such as scribing, communications or other delegated activities but does not assume the role itself.
This arrangement also enables familiarisation opportunities (“ride-alongs”) and provides additional assistance during complex incidents, including situations where extra personnel travel together as part of the response.
Duty Roster
Rostered shifts are as per the EOG Roster.
Responsibility for maintaining each service roster is:
- Duty Officer (DN, DM, DS and Reserve) – Duty Officer Coordinator.
- State Duty Officer – Manager, State Operations Centre.
- State Operations Centre – State Communications Officer.
- Safety Officer – Surf Sports Coordinator or event lead.
Operational Protocols
Duty Officer Recall Workflow
The SOC will activate the Duty Officer Team via Response SMS.
The Duty Officer Team must respond with either:
- No if they are unavailable; or
- their current location, described at a minimum by suburb, and their estimated time of arrival (ETA) to the scene.
As soon as reasonably practicable, the SOC will stand down Duty Officers who are not required via a Stand Down Response SMS.
Duty Officers who are available should avoid calling the SOC, as multiple other phone calls may be underway with Emergency Response Teams (ERTs) and other emergency services.
The Duty Officer for the incident will be nominated by the SOC based on their location and anticipated recall response to maximise efficiency and minimise mobilisation delays.
Members who are not required will be stood down by SMS.
The SOC Supervisor determines whether the anticipated response timeframe is sufficient based on available information and may request the SDO to assume tactical command if required.
The SDO may later elect to delegate tactical command once appropriate resources are in place or the situation changes.
The SOC will provide the Duty Officer with a SITREP as soon as reasonably practicable.
Out-of-Hours Interim Command
When an incident occurs out of hours, the SOC Supervisor holds interim incident command until it transfers to the Duty Officer upon their arrival on scene.
While en route, decisions beyond safety considerations may only be made if approved by the SDO, as outlined under Duty Officer – Local Tactical Command. The SDO may grant general command authority if required.
Transfer of Command
Command may transfer from one Duty Officer to another at the discretion of the incumbent.
The SOC must be advised of a transfer of command.
A Duty Officer may nominate a closer unrostered Duty Officer to attend a scene.
If the unrostered Duty Officer accepts the request, they will use their unrostered SURF 5xx call sign or, where necessary, establish command using LOCATION COMMAND.
Maintaining Operational Awareness
The DO, SDO and SOC should maintain regular contact throughout the shift to share updates and ensure a common understanding of operations.
This includes discussing:
- relevant incidents and their status;
- potential risks and hazards;
- planned activities and tasks;
- emerging operational priorities; and
- resource movements and availability.
Members should stay connected with the wider team and review relevant briefings, such as the EOG Friday update.