SUN CITY NEWS
Phone: (08) 9561 2500
Thursday 30 May 2013
www.suncitynews.com.au
HOAX CALL About 1.00pm on Monday 20 May, hoax calls triggered a search for a crashed aircraft near Gingin. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) received a call claiming to be from a chopper pilot who had purported to have gone down in bushland. Two helicopters and a rescue plane were deployed to the area after the mayday call was received. A second call was then received, this time the pilot reported he had crashed into a tree. The caller provided a different aircraft call sign to the one provided in the first call. It became clear the calls were a hoax after the AMSA determined that the aircraft associated with both reported call signs were accounted for. An AMSA spokeswoman said the offence was criminal and had been reported to police. The search has been estimated to cost more than $20,000 and wasted valuable resources. A day earlier, there had been a vexatious beacon activation near Mindarie with a helicopter being deployed. The beacon was found in a tree opposite the Mindarie Marina. The AMSA warned that hoaxers can be forced to pay all emergency response costs “Malicious and hoax requests for assistance such as these can attract criminal penalties. The resources used in these incidents could have been used in a genuine emergency situation.” In January 2010, a Clarkson man was convicted with creating a false belief, which sparked a massive sea and air search over thousands of kilometres of ocean north of Rottnest Island. He was sentenced to nine months jail and ordered to pay $54,000 in restitution to cover the cost of the search.
Beach safety - Your help wanted Surf Life Saving WA (SLSWA) is calling for the community’s assistance to help save lives in the City of Wanneroo. The City of Wanneroo has appointed SLSWA to undertake a coastal risk and safety signage audit within its jurisdiction as part of the City’s ongoing focus to improve coastal safety at its beaches. The audit will be conducted in a two part series, with the first part already
underway and the second part to commence early in the new financial year. SLSWA is encouraging anyone who has witnessed, been involved with, or have heard of any rescues, injuries or near misses that have taken place at any beach between Tamala Park and Two Rocks to complete an online survey and tell us about your local experiences.
The survey is anonymous and can be accessed at www.surveymonkey.com/s/Wann erooCoastalSafety. The survey data will help SLSWA to develop recommendations for the City on how to manage their coastal aquatic recreation safety. This community consultation process will produce recommendations which are reflective of what is actually happening in the community.