4.1.1 Sign On (Club)

Sign On

In 2.2.4 Lifeguards & Clubs we showed how you can sign on both Lifeguards and Clubs via the View Status screen. In this section you can also sign on a club by clicking Sign On and a Club > Sign On screen will display

Select the club from the Location drop-down and the following screen will display

Three compulsory fields must be completed (See the description of all sign-on fields below)

• Sign-On Method
• Time
• Patrol Strength
  

Sign On Descriptions

• Sign-on Method – provides the operator with a selection of communications mediums and the level to which the communication is received — 5 being the strongest and 1 being the weakest. (Also available Radio – Unreachable, Radio – SMR & Phone)
• Time – defaults to current time but can be changed manually
• Roster – displays to the operator whether there is a patrol team(s) rostered for that particular date at that particular location. If the club has set up their patrol rosters in SurfGuard, they will be displayed here and it is important to select the correct patrol team when signing on the club.
• Patrol Strength – allows the operator to select whether the patrol has enough members to fulfil their Lifesaving Service Agreement or not. Options to select include; Full, Partial, Surveillance (Approved), Setup and None. (Use the Notes field to record information about any partial patrols as required.)
• Beach Status – shows the current state of the Beach. Options to select include:-
  • Open denotes that the club has defined a safe swimming area by putting up SLSA standard red and yellow patrol flags.
  • Closed – denotes that the club has been unable to define a safe enough area for members of the public swim, and therefore no patrol flags are flying.
  • Surveillance – is used in severe weather conditions at the discretion of the patrol captain, generally meaning that the patrol members are surveying the beach and beachgoers from the safety of the surf club or other shelter in inclement weather.
• Water Craft Status allows the operator to select the following options for the status of the club’s Inflatable Rescue Boat (IRB); Operational, Multiple Operational Vehicles, Standby or Not Operational
• Beach Vehicle Status allows the operator to select the following options for the status of the club’s Beach Vehicle/s; Operational, Multiple Operational Vehicles, Standby or Not Operational
• UAV Status – Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (Drone) may be in use by the club and the following options are available to select; Operational, Multiple Operational Vehicles, Standby or Not Operational
• Club Specific Statistics at Sign On – Surfcom operators will need to get from the member signing the club on the following information
  • Patrolling Members
  • People on Beach
  • Swimmers
  • People on Craft
• Hazards At sign-on – clubs’ local hazards reported to SurfCom can be recorded using the appropriate checkboxes. Hazards that can be recorded against a sign-on are Sharks, Marine Stingers, Crocodiles, Winds, Rip Currents, Submerged Objects, Beach erosion, Water pollution, Heavy shorebreak or Dangerous surf. If the hazard does not fall into one of these in-built categories then the Other check box can be ticked and you will be able to enter a description of the hazard.

*Lifesaving Service Protocols – To the right of these fields is Lifesaving Service Protocols. This section provides information regarding the club’s requirements that are set out in their Lifesaving Agreement between the club and their branch/state

*Depending on your State/Branch’s requirements you may need to fill in some or all fields. Check with your SurfCom Supervisor/Manager.

*Select any appropriate hazards — this information is displayed on Beachsafe website and the Beachsafe app for the public to see.