The remote beaches of NSW are some of our state’s most stunning, but when disaster strikes, being on an unpatrolled beach is less ideal. To make beach days at these unspoiled coastal spots even more special, the government has installed Emergency Response Beacons at eight of the state’s most popular (and dangerous) unpatrolled beaches, including Gordons Bay, Mahon Pool, North Palm Beach and Turimetta, all here in Sydney.
The new Emergency Response Beacons (ERBs) have been installed to help people receive lifesaving assistance more quickly – with realtime technology connecting people directly to the Surf Life Saving NSW (SLSNSW) State Operation Centre. Once the SLSNSW has received a call from one of these beacons, they can dispatch their emergency services team to the exact rescue site super quickly, making swimming at these dreamy spots a whole lot safer.
While there are already 32 ERBs in place at high-risk swimming areas across Sydney and NSW, the new fleet are fitted with flotation devices that will activate an alarm at SLSNSW's State Operations Centre when used – meaning you don’t even need to make a call to alarm the emergency services that you’re in need. The high-tech lifesaving beacons are solar-powered, and use 4G and 5G technology to communicate with the SLSNSW – it’s all pretty high tech, and the kind of safety net that our city’s secluded swimming spots could all benefit from.
“It’s all about using technology to improve how we respond to coastal incidents and, in the end, save more lives along the coast,” Chief Executive of Surf Life Saving NSW Steve Pearce explained.
As of last week, the new units have been made available at Gordons Bay and Mahon Pool in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs, Turimetta and North Palm Beach in the Northern Beaches, Forresters Beach and Bateau Bay in the Central Coast and Woonona and Austinmer in the Wollongong area.
Keen to explore your options? Here’s our guide to Sydney’s beaches.
Ed's Note: Of course, having ERBs available at beaches doesn't guarantee safety or rescue, and you're still better off swimming between the flags at patrolled beaches. Also, swimming alone can be particularly dangerous – and if you swim solo at a beach with an ERB, you risk having no one around to set the beacon off for you.
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