The SLSNSW SOC at the SLSNSW head office coordinates the Surf Emergency Response System (SERS) that has been responsible for saving over 1,000 lives since 2008. It is manned daylight hours 365 days a year; however, an SLSNSW State Duty Officer (SDO) is contactable by other emergency services 24 hours a day. This availability is possible thanks to a network of dedicated SLS volunteers and staff who are an indispensable part of supporting all SLSCs in NSW, managing emergency situations and search and rescue operations across the NSW coastline and developing relationships with other emergency service stakeholders.
All year, the SOC coordinates multi-agency responses with other NSW emergency service agencies/organisations, including NSW police and ambulance and the SES. It also doubles as a backup emergency management centre for the Northern Beaches Local Government Area (LGA) and the North West Metropolitan Region.
Before contacting the SLSNSW SOC to initiate any emergency response, ask yourself the following questions.
- Do the patrol members have the knowledge and skill to respond safely to the incident?
- Is the appropriate equipment available and adequate for the job?
- Will you maintain an ability to continue to provide a lifesaving service at the patrolled beach?
- Are the weather and sea conditions, present and forecast, safe for a response?
- What time frame will you set yourself before contacting another emergency agency/organisation?
- Would another emergency agency/organisation be more suitable for the response?
The SOC (call sign ‘SurfCom’) will assign an SLSNSW Branch Duty Officer (BDO) who may attend the incident and oversee the emergency response. This allows the patrol to receive advice deploying assets and continuing to undertake normal patrol obligations. Remember, SLSCs must notify the SOC before or while preparing to respond to any incident outside of patrol hours. During any multi-agency incident, tasking must be approved by the SLSNSW BDO (onsite) or by the SLSNSW SDO located in the SOC.