Coffs Harbour trials new beach patrols and inclusive beach access equipment

This Summer will see Coffs Harbour Council’s Lifeguards trialling both a new beach patrol service and new accessible equipment and facilities for people with disabilities at Jetty Beach as part of a series of innovations related to a new strategy to guide the Lifeguard Service into the future.

New accessible equipment will include two more Hippocampe-type beach wheelchairs and a 50metre Mobi-Mat that can be laid over the sand from the Jetty4Shores ramp to allow people with mobility issues direct access to the water.

Greg Hackfath, Council’s Team Leader Lifeguard Services advised “Patrolling Jetty Beach will mean that we can respond extremely quickly to any potential incidents at North Wall (South Park Beach).

“This is an incident hot-spot that tends to attract visitors who don’t know the area and are unaware of the dangers of rips.

“It would also mean that the lifeguards on duty will be able to look after the new accessibility equipment as part of an Inclusive Beach Access service.”

The new beach patrol trial will start on 27th December 2019 and run through the peak summer period until 26th January 26, 2020.

A new Lifeguard Service Strategic Plan has also been adopted that maps out the future direction of Council’s Lifeguard Services to meet the challenges of changes in population, technology and beach lifestyle.

Hackfath added “The key issues we face are population growth, increased beach visitation by locals and visitors, the popularity of the upgraded foreshore areas, the growing number of people living or working here who come from overseas, an ageing population and an increasing number of retirees.

“In the past, most people used to go to surf beaches on weekends, but this is changing to more weekday visits, including non-surf beach locations. There are also emerging industry trends around technology – such as the use of drones and localised wifi messaging.

“These were key considerations that we had to address for the Lifeguard Service now and in the future.”

A report will be provided to Councillors following the completion of the Jetty Beach patrol trial and Inclusive Beach Access service.