Purpose
To ensure that all verbal communication is clear, concise, accurate and in line with the needs of the operation.
Policy
Surf Life Saving NSW (SLSNSW) expects professional and effective communication at all times and provides clear guidelines regarding the information that should be obtained when receiving a request for assistance.
Procedure
A Request for Assistance (RFA) has four main sections:
- Callers Details
- Incident Location
- Incident Description
- Communications Log
*Note: Specific procedures should be referenced as well (i.e. lost/missing persons).
Caller’s Details
It is very important to obtain the caller’s details so they can be contacted if information needs to be verified at a later stage (including Contact #, CAD/Incident #).
Incident Location
The most important information is the location of where assistance is required. Write down things such as the nearest access point, beach ID, beach name or anything that may be relevant.
Incident Description
| Problem | An overview of the problem including the severity of the situation and any likely consequences |
| People | The number and details of the people involved, depending if search or medical. |
| Progress | The response being carried out, the current response situation. Progress updates should be provided to SurfCom as appropriate (milestones reached or changes occur). |
| Assistance | What assistance is required (either directly requested or appropriate to activate as per SOPs). |