Australian Coastal Public Safety Guidelines and Managing your Beach National Lifesaving Conference Sept /8/2007 Prepared by Adam Weir and Gary Daly

COASTSAFE Intelligent & Strategic beach safety unit Collecting data on all Australian beaches Establishing methodologies and processes to deliver a safer aquatic environment Support for surf lifesavers and lifeguards, as well as land managers and developers COASTSAFE can help fulfill the smallest to the largest ‘Duty of Care’

ABSAMP Detailed information on Australia’s 11,560 beaches ABSAMP will soon be available to selected users online via Surfguard

ABSAMP and its uses outside the SLSA

The Australian Coastal Public Safety Guidelines Designed to inform coastal and beach managers and operators in providing a safer aquatic environment for all users Readily available guidance for –Coastal land managers & developers –Government authorities; Local and State –Lifesaving Service Providers –Lifeguards and Supervisors

The Australian Coastal Public Safety Guidelines A total of 9 sections covering: –Coastal Safety Signage –General Operation of Beaches –Lifesaving Services –Lifesaving Equipment & Facilities –Emergency Management –Storage of Handling of Dangerous Goods –Coastal Tourism Safety

The Australian Coastal Public Safety Guidelines The first edition is a Consultative draft that will have an extensive consultation phase. Future editions will be released following input from interested stakeholders

The Australian Coastal Public Safety Guidelines cont.. Anyone interested in being involved should register before 21 st December 2007 Options for involvement: –General Consultative Groups –Specialist Consultative Groups –Specialty adviser –an interested observer

The Australian Coastal Public Safety Guidelines If you would like to be involved simply fill in the form included with the Guidelines or go to to register

Coastal Risk Assessment Qualified assessors / auditors and competent in the respective areas of subject matter. Using the Guidelines, ABSAMP and other data, provide a report which details risks, and more importantly develop a plan to establish a safer beach environment

What does the ACPSG mean to surf club? The Guidelines will provide a valuable resource for all levels of life saving operations Now there is a single reference for all your life saving questions

How Surf Clubs can use the Guidelines Surf clubs will be able to use the Guidelines to better manage beaches As a reference for everyday life saving: –Designating the beach –Aquatic activity zoning –Flags and signage –Required Minimum Service Levels –Surf craft management –Marine stinger management

Using the Guidelines Administration and management –Service Operations Manual –Local operating procedures –Equipment design –Design of club & first aid rooms Surf Sports –Aquatic activity management

Using the Guidelines Emergency Management –Joint cooperation with other EMS –Body retrieval –Emergency closure of beaches –Storage & handling of dangerous goods

The Guidelines and Current SLS Policy The guidelines have been developed with input from all levels of SLS and aquatic safety experts Policy from throughout SLS has been adapted for use in the guidelines Proving valuable guidance Best practice from around Australia and overseas They are recommendations for voluntary application to coastal environments in so far as they relate to public safety Underpinned by risk management principles

The Guidelines and Current SLS Policy The Guidelines and Underpinning Principles Risk Management Evidence Based methodology Continuous improvement Stakeholder engagement; consultation and broad input