8.10 Beach Attendance Monitoring

Purpose

To provide a consistent formal beach attendance monitoring program to improve the reliability, accuracy and range of data collected with regards to beach visitation.

Overview

An evidence-based approach can be used to inform decisions on lifesaving service provisioning and resource allocation and assist with procuring funding.

Attendance is captured and broken down into 4 specific areas:

1. Swimmers in the water inside the flags.
2. Swimmers in the water outside the flags.
3. Personnel on the beach.
4. Craft (powered and non-powered).

Procedure

SLS services should have the same methodology and procedures for observing and estimating beach attendance.

Visual scanning techniques utilised for effective water observation can also be applied for estimating on beach visitation figures.

The technique described below is subjective and is estimate based, however with additional checks and balances in place there should be improved confidence and faith in the figures.

Definitions

• Attendance: Must include the total number of people in the water and on the beach in the area specified.
• Area: Must be the area defined as the primary and secondary patrolling areas (up to 200m either side of the flags).

Reporting

Beach attendance should be collected at the start of each patrol and every hour thereafter and entered into the Operations App.

Beach attendance must include the number of people in the water, the number of persons on the beach and the number of watercraft at each of the specified times.

Data must be collected and recorded in the Operations App. Data entered via the Operations App must be approved and closed in Surfguard by the Club Captain within 14 days.

Reference

• Public Safety and Aquatic Rescue training manual, 35th Edition, Module 5 – Rescue, Scanning