9.11 Coastal Fire Operations
Patrol Area Closure and Evacuation
Coastal fire incidents, smoke impacts, ember attack, or restricted access routes may require emergency patrol area closure, evacuation of swimmers, or suspension of patrol operations. General patrol area closure and evacuation procedures are detailed within
SOP 9.1 – Emergency Patrol Area Closure and Evacuation
.
Purpose
To provide operational guidance for SLSSA support activities during coastal fire incidents and evacuation operations.
Overview
Coastal fire incidents may present significant risks to members, the public, lifesaving facilities, and coastal access routes.
SLSSA may support emergency service operations under approved command and coordination arrangements.
Coastal fire events create a number of operational risks for lifesaving services, particularly in national parks, forested coastal areas, and regional locations with limited access routes.
Procedure
Where significant coastal fire operations occur, SLSSA may establish operational coordination arrangements appropriate to the scale of the incident.
Potential operational risks include:
- Direct threat to lifesaving personnel or facilities,
- Direct threat to beach users or coastal communities,
- Isolation of beaches due to restricted road or track access,
- Loss of access preventing normal patrol operations,
- Smoke impacts reducing visibility or air quality, and
- Rapidly changing environmental conditions.
Potential operational contingencies may include:
- Provision of temporary shelter or refuge within SLS facilities,
- Water based evacuation support activities,
- Support to isolated coastal communities,
- Coastal reconnaissance or observation activities, and
- Support to emergency service operations where tasked.
SLS personnel are to be mindful that the standard SLS patrol uniform is not suitable personal protective equipment (PPE) for bushfire or structural fire environments.
SLS personnel must not enter active firegrounds or smoke impacted areas without appropriate PPE, training, and tasking.
SLSSA operational activities must not occur within active firegrounds unless specifically authorised, appropriately equipped, and operating under approved emergency service arrangements.
Response (General)
Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES are any independent local deployments of any kind permitted.
Deployments will only occur following tasking through the State Operations Centre.
Lifesaving response to fire events must be undertaken within approved emergency management arrangements.
The relevant Control Agency will provide operational direction and incident control.
Lifesaving services may only undertake evacuation or search and rescue support activities under authorised and coordinated emergency management arrangements.
References