The SLSCC Support Operations Team are integral to the Surf Life Saving Emergency Response System, supporting beach patrols and acting as a Liaison Officer with emergency services in emergency incidents.

The Support Operations Team support all 15 clubs in emergency situations and respond to incidents all year from Lake Munmorah National Park in the north and Broken Bay area in the south.

Duty Officers

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A Duty Officer is a senior lifesaver integral to the Surf Life Saving Emergency Response System, supporting beach patrols and acting as a Liaison Officer with emergency services when on scene in emergency incidents.

It’s not the Duty Officers responsibility to take over the incident management, but rather support the Patrol Captain in managing the beach/ incident as required.

SLSCC currently has eleven (11) Duty Officers who are rostered on weekends and public holidays throughout the season to support the fifteen (15)  surf club patrols. They are not necessarily at the beach for the whole period but must be 100% contactable and able to respond to emergencies and provide support to club patrols when needed.

The rostered Branch Duty Officer will be the first point of call in coastal emergency incidents after hours and outside of the patrol season who will then coordinate the relevant rescue resources required to save a life, including club call out teams, RWC operators, SMAR swimmers and the SLSCC UAV Rescue Service.

Rescue Water Craft (RWC)

A Rescue Water Craft (RWC) is a personal water craft commonly known by names such as wave runner or jet ski, operated by a qualified and proficient lifesaver and fitted with a surf kit including rescue sled.

Since the inception of the SLSCC RWC Service in 2004 this service has played a huge role in further strengthening the lifesaving services SLSCC provide to the Central Coast community.

Its primary purpose is to support beach patrols with additional surveillance and rescue capabilities, concentrating on patrolling the high risk locations away from standard patrol areas.

The RWC has also revolutionised the organisations after hour’s emergency response capabilities, regularly responding to major search and rescue incidents outside of season, often to save lives at remote locations such as The Lake Munmorah National Park as they are faster and more maneuverable than other rescue equipment and only require one operator.

Thanks to ongoing support from the Central Coast Leagues Club, SLSCC now has a team of over 60 qualified RWC operators formed of members from the 15 surf clubs and the service is regarded as one of the leading surf rescue services of its kind in Australia. The service now boasts a fleet of RWC’s strategically located along our coastline as follows;

• Support Ski 1: located at The Lakes SLSC – Patrol area: Birdie Beach to The Entrance
• Support Ski 2: Located at The Entrance Boat Shed – Patrol area: Magenta to Bateau Bay Shores
• Support Ski 3: Located at Terrigal SLSC – Patrol Area: Forresters Beach to Avoca Beach
• Support Ski 4: Located at Avoca SLSC – Patrol Area: Spoon Bay to MacMasters.
• Support Ski 5: Located at Umina SLSC – Patrol Area: Maitland Bay to Broken Bay
• Support Ski 6: Located at SLSCC Branch – Patrol Area: Carnivals and Roving

Each area of operation may have some overlap with adjoining areas to provide proper coverage of the patrolled zones. RWC’s are expected to team up for major search and rescue operations and operate outside their district on an as needed basis.