Emergency Response Beacon activated to prevent rip drownings

Surf Life Saving NSW (SLSNSW) has advised that one of its latest to be installed Emergency Response Beacons (ERBs) was used twice last week to assist in the rescue of people at The Ruins campground south of Forster.

ERBs allow members of the public to immediately call and connect to the SLSNSW State Operations Centre, who then alert emergency services to the exact location of an incident.

Surf Life Saving New South Wales (SLSNSW) has rolled out 32 of the mobile ERBs since 2020 at locations identified as high risk due to the number of incidents recorded.

On 2nd January the ERB was activated at the Booti Booti National Park location south of Forster when a man trying to rescue two people became caught in a rip current and on 4th January the ERB was again activated for another person caught in a rip current at the same location.

Surf Life Saving NSW shared that Tim Negus from Narrabeen in Sydney who has been holidaying at the Booti Booti National Park location for almost 30 years, says he has witnessed many close calls and a drowning some years ago at the unpatrolled beach.

On 2nd January, Negus was heading down the beach track from the campground to have a swim when a woman ran up to him, frantic and yelling at him to “push the button!” on the Emergency Response Beacon and that her husband was trying to rescue two people caught in a rip current.

Negus ran to the bright yellow beacon on the pole at the back of the beach, pushed the call button and was instantly answered by an operator in the SLSNSW State Operations Centre.

Lifeguards from nearby Elizabeth Beach responded by jetski and road as the man was returning the swimmers to shore on his body board. Volunteer Duty Officers and other emergency services also responded.

The ERB was again activated on 4th January for another person caught in a rip current at the same location. A bystander was able to help the person back to shore.

The beach has been a notorious spot for rescues and incidents over the years and the installation of the ERB in July 2023, part of a larger network of 32 throughout the state, was to reduce response times in emergencies. The location has limited mobile phone reception.

The ERBs directly connect a caller to the State Operations Centre so the nearest lifesaving or emergency service can be tasked to respond. The State Duty Officer notifies Police or other services.

Negus added “I guess you’d just ring Triple Zero normally, but then you’ve gotta describe where you are and I don’t think I would have had my phone on me just going down for a swim.

“I just pressed the button and there was someone there straight away. Good system, it’s nice and clear and there was an instant response. It was a good outcome, lucky other people were on the beach.”

There are another 35 ERBs to be installed at high-risk unpatrolled beaches across NSW through the state over the next four years.

SLSNSW General Manager of public safety and emergency Brent Manieri said 2022 and 2023 summer drowning data would be used to inform the next beacon locations, with 10 to be rolled out before July this year.

The NSW Government will provide more than $1 million to SLSNSW over the next four years to maintain existing beacons as well as increase the number available to the public.

SLSNSW has rolled out 32 of the mobile ERBs since 2020 at locations identified as high risk due to the number of incidents recorded.

In November 2022, two men aged in their 20s were rescued at a notorious drowning site Dreamtime Beach on the state's far north coast after a member of the public activated the beacon.

Nearby lifeguards were able to use the beacon's satellite location and built-in camera to find the exact location of the men before anyone got hurt.

Image. Emergency Response Beacons in NSW. Credit SLSNSW