12.2 Surf Emergency Response System (SERS)

Purpose

To outline the Surf Emergency Response System (SERS) within SA to:

• Save lives;
• Improve casualty survival rates;
• Reduce the response time of lifesaving and other rescue services to casualties;
• Maximise the quality of a coordinated emergency response system;
• Provide clarification on the most appropriate resources to utilise; and
• Reduce the risk to responding personnel.

Overview

SLSSA requires personnel to follow the provided guidelines to ensure the effectiveness of the Surf Emergency Response System as the notification/tasking process for emergency services to contact and activate lifesaving services in SA.

The State Operations Centre (SOC) maintains the Surf Emergency Response System (SERS).

Definition

An emergency response is a SLSSA reaction to a request for assistance from any of the following agencies/ organisations:

• Emergency Services (Police, Fire, Ambulance),
• SA State Emergency Service (SES),
• Volunteer Marine Rescue (VMR),
• Lifesaving Services (Australian Lifeguard Service, Council Lifeguards, Surf Life Saving Clubs
• (patrols), Emergency Operations Group etc),
• Marine Safety, and/or
• National Parks and Wildlife Service Rangers.

Background

The nature of emergency response often results in a situation where:

• Incident is at an unpatrolled location/time.
• There is limited information – unknown circumstances/details available.
• Patients are in the mid-latter stages of the drowning cycle.
• Response time is critical to the casualty’s survival/recovery.

Procedure

SLS Services Requiring Assistance

The SLSSA administered Surf Emergency Response System is the process for upward notification of locally identified or notified major incidents from lifesaving services.

Internal notifications, i.e. those from lifesaving services still filter into the Surf Emergency Response System.

During the State Operations Centre (SOC) standard operating hours, initial notification from SLS personnel should be made to the SOC via radio (primary) or telephone (secondary).

Outside of the SOC standard operating hours, initial notification should be made by dialling 000 and requesting Police (the control agency for aquatic events, including marine search and rescue operations, underwater searches, and inland waterway searches).

Subsequent updates and intel from lifesaving services should be communicated to the rostered on-call SOC Supervisor via 13 SURF (monitored 24/7).

No lifesaving service will implement duplicate/contrary systems which do, or may, undermine the Surf Emergency Response System at local/regional/state level. Regardless of the origin of the request for assistance or agencies involved, the Surf Life Saving Surf Emergency Response System must utilise the most appropriate resource from any agency/organisation for assistance to ensure the quickest response time, according to the State Operations Centre procedures. The contact number for the Surf Emergency Response System must not be communicated by any party to the public or media.

The system must be referred to externally as the ‘Surf Emergency Response System’.

Communication and Resource Types

• Primary Resource Notification: The surf rescue resource which is deemed nearest/most appropriate to respond to an incident and is notified/tasked first.
• Secondary Resource Notification: The surf rescue resource/s which may provide value to an emergency response and is notified/tasked after the primary.
• Notification Only: a notification made to additional resources, including neighbouring resources (as required) and key stakeholders (as required) where a response from these parties is not necessary.

Command and Control

The Surf Emergency Response System is primarily responsible for disseminating emergency information to lifesaving services on behalf of emergency services and providing SITREPS to those agencies as appropriate.

For a rescue incident, SA Police are the control agency.

The rostered on-call SOC Supervisor has the delegated authority of SLSSA to act in the position of SLS Incident Commander until a Duty Officer arrives on site (if tasked).

Responding services are to appoint a SLS Forward Commander if requested to by the SLS Incident Commander.

The rostered on-call SOC Supervisor, who delivers the Surf Emergency Response System, retains a ‘Command’ function for responding SLS/ALS services until a Duty Officer is on scene as ‘forward commander’ or there is a request to take on that role by the Duty Officer, even if they are on scene.

Response SMS

Surf clubs should be tasked to respond via Response SMS. Refer to SOP 12.4 – Surf Club Emergency Response Teams (ERT).