Beyond Patrol Issue 1 Spring 2013

SURF LIFE SAVING QUEENSLAND

ISSUE 1 | SPRING 2013

Disaster Management ow SLSQ is equipped for emergency H response and disaster management

Coastal Risk Assessments Public safety procedures upgraded at Tallebudgera Creek

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WELCOME On behalf of the entire Surf Life Saving Queensland (SLSQ) community, I warmly welcome you to the first issue of Beyond Patrol - SLSQ’s new quarterly publication aimed at sharing our highlights and achievements with you, our valued supporters.

I share George’s pride for our organisation; the humble beginnings we have come from, to where we are today, and the direction that the movement is heading.

As the state’s peak beach safety and rescue authority, we have over 31,000 members across the state, from Port Douglas in the north to Rainbow Bay in the south, making SLSQ one of the largest volunteer-based community service organisations in Australia.

“Surf Life Saving Queensland works at the forefront with other emergency services in our communities’ times of need.”

Last month, we witnessed over 8,000 active patrolling volunteers return to the beaches around the state to commence patrols. Some areas have been patrolled for decades, while new patrols commenced at previously identified black spot areas. Similarly, many of our volunteer surf lifesavers are highly experienced; some are new to this service.

In recent months we shared an insight into the future of SLSQ with over 400 of our members at the 2013 Surf Life Saving Queensland State Conference. This platform provided an opportunity to present initiatives and plans for the future growth of not only the movement in our state, but ideas around how each club – from the grassroots level up – can strive to be successful and sustainable now and into the future.

But what all of our surf lifesavers have in common is that they are dedicated, highly skilled, and very passionate people, whose experience is called on – and they don’t hesitate to respond – in moments of greatest need.

I implore you to read our feature article by SLSQ’s Chief Operating Officer, George Hill, which delves into the area of disaster management, and how Surf Life Saving Queensland works at the forefront with other emergency services in our communities’ times of need.

Our sustainability is due, in part, to the continued support of organisations such as yours, whose contribution ensures that we can continue to keep our beaches and waterways safe as we strive toward zero preventable deaths in Queensland waters; so thank you.

Yours in lifesaving,

John Brennan OAM CEO, Surf Life Saving Queensland

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During the 2012/13 patrol season, SLSQ volunteers…

• Spent more than 336,000 hours on patrol • Performed 101,797 preventative actions • Administered 8,464 first aid treatments • Saved 2,381 lives • Educated 300,000+ people on surf safety

Red and Yellow Volunteers Back on the Beach On cue, the weather warmed up around the state as over 8,000 of SLSQ’s active patrolling members returned to the beaches for the 2013/14 volunteer patrol season.

Saturday 21 September saw the red and yellow flags hoisted around the state to signify that our volunteer surf lifesavers were back on the beach, from Rainbow Bay on the Gold Coast to Rainbow Beach on the Sunshine Coast, and Hervey Bay in the Wide Bay Capricorn region to Forrest Beach in North Queensland.

In the south of the state, Gold Coast City Council Councillor Dawn Crichlow and State Member for Broadwater Verity Barton MP officially launched the Gold Coast volunteer patrol season at the Southport Broadwater swimming enclosure.

In Brisbane city, Lord Mayor Graham Quirk raised the flags with SLSQ President Ralph Devlin in conjunction with the Up The Tower fundraising event, and thanked Brisbane residents for their contribution to surf lifesaving around the south east.

On the Sunshine Coast, Regional Council Mayor Mark Jamieson and Councillor Jason O’Pray were joined by Speaker of the House and State Member for Maroochydore Ms Fiona Simpson MP to launch the Sunshine Coast patrol season with ALS lifeguards welcoming lifesavers back to the beach at Mooloolaba (picture above).

SLSQ Chief Operating Officer George Hill took the opportunity of the start of the season to urge beachgoers to take responsibility for their actions and “put safety first” while they cool down in the surf this summer.

“Surf Life Saving Queensland volunteer members spent more than 336,000 hours on patrol during the 2012/13 season.”

“Ultimately our goal is zero preventable deaths and we will move forward into the new season with increased aerial patrols, daily water craft patrols, dawn patrols and weekend beach patrols to ensure a safe experience for all beachgoers,” George said.

This launch coincided with the start of patrols at the Southport Broadwater, which will see the popular swimming enclosure patrolled seven days a week by Australian Lifeguard Service Queensland Lifeguards from Monday to Friday, and Brisbane Lifesaving Service volunteer surf lifesavers on weekends and public holidays.

“But always remember – if lifesavers can’t see you, they can’t save you.”

SLSQ’s Westpac Lifesaver Helicopter Rescue Service will also continue to conduct aerial patrols on the Gold Coast, South and North Stradbroke Islands, Amity Point, Moreton Island, Bribie Island and the Sunshine Coast.

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SLSQ PROVIDES EYES IN THE SKY FOR QUEENSLAND POLICE SLSQ and the Queensland Police Service took another step toward making the Gold Coast a safer place when the replacement police helicopter was revealed as part of the continuing partnership between the two organisations.

The helicopter, purchased by SLSQ for the sole use of the QPS, has replaced its predecessor of the same model.

Branded in police colours, the helicopter will continue to provide an effective aerial observation platform to police on the ground.

SLSQ CEO John Brennan said that the organisation supports the continued partnership, which is providing increased services to the Gold Coast.

“Surf Life Saving Queensland is fully committed to giving the QPS a world class police helicopter service for the Gold Coast,” John said.

“With more than 37 years of experience patrolling our beaches from the sky and providing the State Disaster

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Management Group with emergency response assistance, SLSQ’s expertise in aviation rescue and surveillance across the state’s south east can only benefit the region.”

On hand to reveal the new-look helicopter, Queensland Premier Campbell Newman said that the State Government was committed to reducing crime across the state and is already looking at providing a second police helicopter for south east Queensland by 2014/15.

“Since the contract began in November last year, the helicopter has already proven invaluable to police, completing more than 2,200 taskings as well as heading to Bundaberg to help during the January floods,” Mr Newman said.

The chopper will remain based at the Westpac Lifesaver Helicopter Rescue Service hanger in Carrara, which has been operating rescue helicopters for more than 37 years.

Stay Beachsafe through new app The important messages of beach safety will now be delivered to a wider audience with the improved Beachsafe smartphone and tablet app enabling translation to 72 languages.

The app, which is an extension of Surf Life Saving Australia’s Beachsafe website, provides access to real-time safety information and conditions for over 12,000 Australian beaches, with the translation abilities to prove crucial for Queensland’s culturally diverse community and millions of visitors to our beaches each year.

Speaking about the app’s new features, SLSQ Chief Operating Officer George Hill said that the language translation feature will enable key safety messages about the beach and surf conditions to be accessed by tourists and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, with both groups identified as high-risk in terms of drownings and beach-related incidents.

“The Beachsafe – website and now app – is the place to go to find out beach information, from weather and forecasts, tide, swell, and water temperature to service patrol periods, Surf Life Saving Club details and regulatory and hazard information,” George said.

“Following the start of the volunteer patrol season in Queensland, this app is a must as we move into summer and Surf Life Saving Clubs around the state kick into gear.”

“This vital community awareness tool will provide access to practical beach safety information for people from not only diverse backgrounds but all facets of the community, making important and current water safety information available in their first language,” Mr Elmes said.

The Department for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Multicultural Affairs provides funding to SLSQ’s multicultural community awareness program On the Same Wave, which reached over 16,000 participants directly and more than 44,000 people through attendance at multicultural community events during the 2012/13 patrol season.

“The current efforts of SLSQ’s multicultural community awareness programs are fantastic, and the improved Beachsafe app will enable that reach to be extended through technology,” Mr Elmes said.

With 30 million beach visits across the state each year, Queensland Minister for Tourism, Ms Jann Stuckey MP welcomed the revamped app as a modern platform to access key information.

“Queensland receives 20 million international and domestic tourists each year, and with over 700 accessible beaches across the state, this revamped app will enable users to access vital information about beaches close to them and make informed decisions about where they swim,” Ms Stuckey said.

Queensland Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Mr Glen Elmes MP praised the improved app as a way to reach a broader and crucial audience.

Scan to view the Beachsafe website and download the app.

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From the beach to disaster management: SLSQ’s historic skills prove vital in modern emergency response George Hill – Chief Operating Officer, SLSQ It’s been over 105 years since Queensland’s first rescue occurred on a Gold Coast beach and I’m proud to say it’s from those essential, but humble beginnings that there has been growth and many positive changes in the surf life saving movement in Queensland to bring it to where it is today.

Our path to recognition from being seen as an organisation saving lives on our beaches to also becoming an important community resource of volunteers and professionals in times of disaster, has been rapid, born from necessity during recent extreme events in Queensland.

Volunteer surf lifesavers are well trained, giving up their own time to patrol our beaches and, at times, put their lives on the line to help people in trouble in our coastal waters, so it wasn’t surprising that this selflessness also transferred to assist their local communities during times of natural disasters.

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rescue craft in the water and on the land as well as crew our Westpac Lifesaver Helicopter Rescue Service based on the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast.

Without their willingness to give up their time to commit to further training and expand into disaster management off the beach, we would not have the ERGs and the disaster response capabilities we have today to assist Queensland communities.

After the initial responses to assist with natural disasters, we recognised the need to further formalise the process away from situations on the beach with management procedures for staff and volunteers to follow during a natural disaster response. As a result, the first SLSQ 24-hour Emergency Response Group (ERG) was formed on the Sunshine Coast in 2007.

This was first recognised in 2009 when the then Queensland Premier had the foresight to engage with SLSQ to form a Memorandum of Understanding with the Queensland Government and Emergency Services which now sees volunteer surf lifesavers tasked to assist with natural disasters, emergency situations and various other after-hours callouts.

The after-hours callout service complemented other emergency services in the area with our skills and equipment.

The success of this service saw it evolve and expand through the great work of our volunteers and staff to now include active ERGs in all SLSQ regions from Cairns to the Gold Coast.

Two years later in 2011, one of the largest floods in Queensland’s history saw SLSQ, through its volunteer surf lifesavers and staff, recognised for our disaster management expertise. The extreme flood events in 2011 brought over 100 years of SLSQ’s historical emergency care and aquatic rescue training to the flood-affected communities of south east Queensland, including Brisbane, the state’s capital.

I need to emphasise that none of this would have happened without the time and commitment of SLSQ’s volunteer surf lifesavers. These are people from all walks of life who come together volunteering their time to be trained to patrol our beaches, perform rescues, crew and drive various motorised

Small towns were swept away in the flood’s path taking many lives. Brisbane was cut in two as floodwaters moved down the Brisbane River and expanded into surrounding low-lying suburbs. Queensland’s traditional Emergency Ü BEYOND PATROL | 7

Rescue Services were stretched to capacity and only two other flood events in 1893 and 1974 have had a greater impact on Brisbane.

SLSQ’s Westpac Lifesaver Helicopter Rescue Service crews, our professional lifeguards, our office staff and over 230 volunteer surf lifesavers took to the air, to the raging flood waters, and worked in operational and logistical support to assist Emergency Service’s Queensland.

Thirty SLSQ-crewed Inflatable Rescue Boats (IRB) worked 24 hours-a-day for five days to support the rescue effort.

Our Westpac Lifesaver Helicopter Rescue Service crews performed rescue and transportation services in many nearby rural towns, including the Lockyer Valley, winching people from floodwaters and from rooftops. The ‘Red and Yellow’ was seen everywhere and welcomed by all.

“The skills used by SLSQ’s volunteer surf lifesavers, staff and Westpac Helicopter Rescue crews during the floods in 2011, 2012 and 2013 were there before these extreme flood events. ” For a second time, this great commitment by our volunteers and staff was recognised by the Queensland Government and led directly to the appointment of SLSQ to the State Disaster Management Group in August 2011. SLSQ now sits at the major disaster table with all of Queensland’s Emergency Services as well as one other volunteer group, the Red Cross.

Since August 2011, SLSQ’s volunteer surf lifesavers and staff have been involved in major flood work on the Sunshine Coast and the Roma area in central Queensland in 2012, and more recently in late January this year when Bundaberg experienced one of its largest flood events in recent history.

Around 1,000 Bundaberg and surrounding residents north of the Burnett River were caught in their homes unable to leave as the sea of water that once was a river continued to rise and swept away anything in its path as it flowed towards the sea.

The decision was made to evacuate by helicopter those still in their homes in the flood zone and SLSQ Westpac Lifesaver Helicopter Rescue Service was tasked along with many other rescue helicopter services to assist in the mass evacuation.

People were winched from roofs, verandas and from the ground as the waters continued to rise and transported to Bundaberg Airport where the ‘Red and Yellow’ army of surf lifesavers were on hand to assist them from the aircraft, administer first aid, help with food and drinks or just be someone to talk to.

While the floods in Bundaberg were occurring, other communities along the coast as south as the Gold Coast beaches and hinterland as well as inland were also devastated by extreme weather. The SLSQ 24-hour Emergency Response Groups in these affected areas were also activated and many of these volunteers also worked tirelessly during the cleanup efforts ensuring their communities and others had assistance.

Our reputation as Queensland’s peak beach safety and rescue authority and its path to becoming an integral part in the State Disaster Management Group is one that can be utilised by other aquatic safety and rescue authorities.

The skills used by SLSQ’s volunteer surf lifesavers, staff and Westpac Helicopter Rescue crews during the floods in 2011, 2012 and 2013 were there before these extreme flood events.

This is all part of being on the Westpac Lifesaver Helicopter Rescue Service crew, an Australian Lifeguard Service (ALS) Lifeguard and a volunteer surf lifesaver in Queensland.

Not long after the 2011 floods, we looked at forming surf life saving volunteers from the greater Brisbane region. Brisbane Lifesaving Service was developed to provide much needed support to surf clubs on the Sunshine and Gold Coasts by equipping Brisbane residents with the key lifesaving skills required to patrol beaches. This has proven very successful and in the future, this same group of dedicated surf lifesaving volunteers could also have the opportunity to use their skills closer to home as part of SLSQ’s ongoing agreement to assist the State Emergency Services with after-hour emergencies.

Opportunities abound for SLSQ volunteer surf lifesavers and ALS Lifeguards to attain many award qualifications and levels within those awards, and many do. This is why surf life saving in Australia is one of the greatest humanitarian organisations in the world and the commitment from our volunteer surf lifesavers, both historically and recently, is the reason why we are on the beach saving lives and in our communities when natural disasters strike.

Scan to watch SLSQ’s Westpac Lifesaver Helicopter Rescue Service perform a rescue during the Bundaberg floods.

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Emergency Response efforts praised On 28 and 29 January 2013, the Westpac Lifesaver Helicopter Rescue Service (WLSHRS) ‘Lifesaver 5’ was tasked to Bundaberg from the Gold Coast by the Queensland Police Service to assist with the evacuation of residents in the flood zones.

Over the two days, pilot Luke O’More and crew members Thomas Hughes and Brett Dorrington were in the air for approximately nine hours, performing 12 winch rescues from rooftops of flooded homes, contour banks and verandas.

Persons rescued were transported to safety at the Flood Evacuation Centres.

On 1 February 2013, around 20 Sunshine Coast volunteer surf lifesavers headed up to Bundaberg to help with first aid and the clean up as part of the recovery program. These volunteers assisted lifesavers from the Bundaberg region to manage 12 first aid stations, and were on standby to assist with beach patrols if needed while the Bundaberg crews helped their community with the recovery process.

Six months after the devastating floods in Bundaberg, SLSQ took members of the ‘Red and Yellow’ army who were in the air with the WLSHRS rescue helicopter back to Bundaberg to visit local schools affected by the floods and thank the volunteers who worked tirelessly throughout the disaster.

The volunteers were acknowledged for the dedication and community spirit that SLSQ has become known for, with SLSQ’s CEO John Brennan OAM joined by Queensland Minister for Police and Community Safety and Member for Bundaberg, Mr Jack Dempsey MP in thanking the volunteers at a breakfast event held at Bundaberg Surf Life Saving Club in July.

SLSQ’s Chief Operating Officer, George Hill, said that the Thankyou Breakfast not only provided an opportunity to thank the volunteers, but to share experiences and reflect on the community effort.

“It was so important to pay tribute to the efforts of our volunteers, branches and clubs, who went above and beyond to lend a hand – whether it was through hands-on assistance, provision of equipment, or other types of support – when it was needed most,” George said.

“For a number of those who volunteered it was a case of assisting others while their own homes were cut off as well, which makes their contributions that much more significant.”

“The significant contribution of the many volunteers is a testament to the commitment and courage of our volunteer men and women who make up this wonderful organisation.”

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Conference aimed to Lead, Motivate, Build and Sustain for the future The largest state conference of its kind held in Queensland drew over 400 surf life saving club administrators and members from around the state to hear from the leaders in their fields on how to lead, motivate, build and sustain their clubs for the future.

“The conference was designed to provide members from all areas within each club across the state with new, interesting and relevant information, to ensure that they all went away equipped to continue to provide a high level service to the community,” John said.

Held on the Gold Coast over three days in August, the 2013 SLSQ State Conference incorporated all operational and business areas of Surf Life Saving to provide clubs with beneficial information, initiatives and ideas for the coming season and beyond.

“The weekend reinforced what an exceptional organisation to be a part of.” – John Davis, Moore Park SLSC

SLSQ Chief Executive Officer, John Brennan, said that Surf Life Saving Queensland is an organisation with a strong and successful history, and the level of attendees from around the state reflects that the future is also looking promising.

“The quality of the sessions that I went to was generally superb; as a group we have come away inspired and motivated to be the best club in Queensland.” – John Phelan, Emu Park SLSC

“SLSQ has over 31,000 members, and from the boards and committees of each individual club, to trainers and coaches, all the way through to those who are solely lifesavers on the beach – they all contribute to the success and reputation of this great organisation.”

The State Conference provided an opportunity for members to build leadership knowledge and skills to benefit their specific role within the organisation; provide feedback to leaders and staff; network and investigate partnership opportunities; and access product suppliers in the Trade Exhibit.

“Our State Conference is essentially about our members, who are the best at what they do, and ensuring that the future of Surf Life Saving in Queensland is sustainable,” John said.

Highlights of the program were guest speakers, who drew on their unique experiences to motivate our members, with popular presenters including swim safety campaigner Laurie Lawrence, professional adventurers Dr Glenn Singleman and Heather Swan, and Olympians Steven Bradbury OAM and Natalie Cook.

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Volunteers rewarded for excellence In a celebration of the state’s finest surf lifesavers, over 500 Surf Life Saving Queensland members gathered at the annual Awards of Excellence night held on the Gold Coast in August to recognise outstanding achievements across the movement.

SLSQ’s Awards of Excellence seek to recognise exceptional commitment to lifesaving, surf sports and youth development, as well as members of the community who have worked with surf life saving to improve beach safety and awareness.

One of the state’s most prestigious awards, The Clive Hammond Gold Medal, went to Pacific Surf Life Saving Club’s Ken Clark; a dedicated individual who has devoted himself to surf life saving over the years through training and assessing at Club and Branch levels.

SLSQ Chief Executive Officer John Brennan commended all of the Awards of Excellence recipients on their awards, and recognised the significant contribution and involvement of our volunteers across all areas of the movement.

“The Awards of Excellence is the one time of the year when we all come together and celebrate the fantastic work we have achieved over the past 12 months,” John said.

“We appreciate every member’s involvement but the award winners have gone above and beyond to keep Queensland beaches safe.”

Surf Life Saving Queensland congratulates recipients of all our Awards of Excellence, including these honours: Queensland Club of the Year Noosa Heads SLSC The Presidents Cup Alexandra Headland SLSC live Hammond Gold Medal C Ken Clark, Point Danger Branch Queensland Surf Lifesaver of the Year Deryck Taylor, Currumbin SLSC Under-14 Junior Surf Lifesaver of the Year Alex Finney, Mackay SLSC Athlete of the Year Tim Delahunty, Currumbin SLSC

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SLSQ lead safet

Tallebudgera Creek

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Risk Assessments to upgrade in public ty procedures As the peak advisory body on beach safety, SLSQ continues to provide coastal public safety risk assessments on beach management and coastal risk management around Queensland, with a number of positive outcomes resulting from this service.

SLSQ works with the Australian CoastSafe, the strategic and intelligence beach safety unit of Surf Life Saving Australia, developed to gather data on all beaches around Australia and establish a framework to deliver a safer aquatic environment.

SLSQ’s CoastSafe offers services to all levels of Government, private developers and the tourism industry to reduce the risk of injury or coastal death along the Queensland coastline and other water ways.

Considered to be the most comprehensive beach safety management program in the world, Queensland has benefited greatly from the assessments and audits undertaken as part of this program.

During the 2012/13 financial year, SLSQ conducted a number of Coastal Public Risk Assessments and Service Level Assessments to address the number of major incidents at the Tallebudgera Creek precinct on the Gold Coast, the Maroochy River mouth on the Sunshine Coast, and Wild Cattle Creek in the Wide Bay Capricorn region.

SLSQ’s qualified lifesaving operations support staff conduct the Coastal Public Risk Assessments, with on-site assessments performed to identify compliance requirements for a particular coastal area or beach, and analyse coastal public safety risks, hazards and conditions.

The audits are based on the components of the Australian Coastal Public Safety Guidelines, the Australian Beach Safety and Management Programme, and a suite of Coastal Safety and Risk Management Services.

Throughout the audit process, SLSQ manages the collection, documentation and presentation of data, with treatment options and recommendations provided, and control strategies monitored and reviewed.

Tallebudgera Creek is one of the top five highest drowning black spots in Queensland, and the third highest on the Gold Coast. Between 1999 and 2013, there were a total of four coastal drownings within Tallebudgera Creek.

A mass rescue of a family of five outside of patrolling hours during the 2012/13 patrol season brought attention to the risks of the waterway, with people unaware of the dangers of the strong outgoing and incoming tidal current.

If it wasn’t for the actions of two off duty volunteer surf lifesavers walking by while on holidays and seeing the family in trouble, a devastating loss of life would have occurred.

SLSQ conducted a coastal public safety risk assessment of the Tallebudgera Creek precinct in May this year following continued growth and changing usage patterns for the popular recreational swimming and picnic area.

The thorough audit considered the characteristics and hazards of the waterway, family visitation rates, access and signage, systems of supervision and the statistics around drownings and major rescues at the site.

The audit, conducted by SLSQ Lifesaving Development Officer and Coastal Auditor for the Gold Coast, Chantel Fife, utilised dynamic hazard and risk assessment tools to develop recommendations and a considered implementation program.

“The first recommendation was to implement a full time, paid Lifeguard Service from September to May to cover service delivery gaps Monday to Friday, and two Lifeguards during peak visitation in Easter, Christmas, New Year and public holidays,” Chantel said.

“In addition to this, we recommended a Lifesaving service be provided from 8:00am to 5:00pm on Saturday and Sunday, and 7:00am to 6:00pm during the Christmas, New Year and public holiday period.”

In a positive reflection of the importance placed on the audits undertaken by SLSQ, both of these recommendations were implemented for the commencement of the 2013/14 patrol season with SLSQ working collaboratively with the Neptune Royal Life Saving Club, the Queensland Government and the Gold Coast City Council in an initial 12-month patrolling trial.

The trial will see SLSQ’s Australian Lifeguard Service employed to provide patrols from Monday to Friday, while SLSQ’s Brisbane Lifesaving Service will provide additional support to the Neptune Royal Life Saving Club for weekend and holiday patrols. Ü

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State Member for Burleigh Michael Hart MP has been supportive of the extended patrols being put in place.

“We need to make sure our community and visitors are safe swimming in these popular recreation areas not only on the weekends, but also during the week,” Mr Hart said.

“Having the Neptune Royal Life Saving Club with the Brisbane Lifesaving Service and the ALS Lifeguards covering the Tallebudgera Creek entrance to help keep our community and visitors safe will be a great benefit for the area,” he said.

Statistics and feedback gathered during the patrol trial period will be used in further discussions at the end of the trial to determine whether the patrols will continue. In the meantime, the collaboration is proving to be a great example of organisations working together for a common cause; to save lives.

The coastal public safety risk assessment also resulted in four recommendations being made for infrastructure around the Tallebudgera Creek site, including installation of a Coastal Surveillance Camera, two angle rings and two emergency response beacons, as well as the implementation and updating of all beach related signage.

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“As a result of these infrastructure recommendations, a Coastal Surveillance Camera has been installed on the end of the rock wall at Tallebudgera Creek mouth to monitor the creek, creek mouth and Tallebudgera Breach,” Chantel said.

There is scope for the other infrastructure recommendations to be implemented in the future, with review processes still underway.

“Overall, we are pleased to see a positive response in recognising the services that SLSQ can provide, both in undertaking the audit and in delivering on the patrol services,” Chantel said.

“As a result, the Tallebudgera Creek waterway will be a safer area for people to visit and enjoy.”

SLSQ can help organisations manage risks on beaches and the coastline through our Coastal Risk Management, Coastal Risk Assessment, Safety Audits, Lifesaving Service Level Calculator and Standardised Signage programs.

To find out more about the Coastal Management Services available from SLSQ, please contact George Hill, SLSQ Chief Operating Officer, 07 3846 8021 or ghill@lifesaving.com.au

2012/13 Season overview The 2012/13 SLSQ Annual Report demonstrates the significant year that it was for the organisation, with so much happening within SLSQ on the beach and within many Queensland committees, as we strive to achieve our vision of zero preventable deaths in Queensland waters.

Other 290

Rescue Tube 636

No Equipment 454

3,648 LIVES SAVED Rescue Water Craft (wave runner) 595

(rescues during 2012–13)

Rescue Board 1,059

PATROLLING MEMBERS

Scan to view the SLSQ Annual Report 2012/13.

8,550

It is the generous involvement of our partners that enables us to continue to keep our beaches safe.

Surf Life Saving Queensland would like to thank these organisations for their ongoing support.

Inflatable Rescue Boat (IRB) 477

SLS Body Board 137

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BUSINESS

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