9.11 Coastal Fire
Purpose
To outline guidelines for lifesaving service response to a coastal fire event in support of fire services.
Overview
In the event of a major coastal fire emergency response procedures must be undertaken to mitigate the risk to members, the public and other emergency services, under control/direction of the appropriate Control Agency and Authorities and command of the relevant SLSSA incident structure.
Procedure
Coastal fire events create a number of risks for lifesaving services in particular locations such as in national parks, forested areas and regional clubs which have limited access through forested areas.
In case of a major fire incident response where SLSSA services have been requested by the Control Agency a SLSSA State Coordination Team (SCT) may be established. The SLSSA SCT will have its base operation at SLSSA HQ, or may be established at a SLSC located in safe proximity to the impacted area. In addition – and depending on the severity of the incident – SLSSA Liaison Officers may be deployed to the State Emergency Centre, State Incident Management Team and/or the State Control Centre and/or other regional or local Incident Control Centres (ICCs)
Specific risks include:
- Direct threat to lifesaving personnel/facilities.
- Direct threat to bathing public/coastal communities.
- Isolation of beaches impacting evacuations (access cut – roads/tracks).
- Isolation of beaches preventing lifesaving service provision (access cut – roads/tracks). The following contingencies may be required in one or more of the above circumstances:
- Provision of shelter/refuge to lifesaving personnel, public, wider community in SLSCs/facilities.
- Water-based evacuation of personnel/public from a existing patrolled beach and/or additional isolated coastal communities.
- Water-based provision of patrol services to isolated (but not threatened) coastal communities.
SLSC are to be mindful that the SLSA patrol uniform is not suitable personal protective equipment within a bushfire zone.
SLSSA, unless working in a non-SLS capacity, should not perform any tasks within an active fireground.
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 or SLSSA State IMT. Lifesaving response to fire events must be undertaken within the existing emergency response system.
The control agency will provide direction and incident control.
Lifesaving services may only undertake evacuation response activities (to locations other than club patrol locations) SAR within an authorised and coordinated state response plan under the direction of the control agency.
References
- State Emergency Management Plan, Part 3: Guidelines and Frameworks, Annex A: Evacuations
- Public Safety and Aquatic Rescue training manual, 35th Edition, Module 10 – Patrol Operations, Working with other emergency services
Useful Links
This document must not be displayed, including in a patrol room, or reproduced in any form, without permission from the Lifesaving Department, Surf Life Saving SA.