Emergency beacons for Sunshine State

AA Radio has deployed its emergency beacons to Surf Lifesaving Queensland (SLSQ). The beacons have contributed to saving 12 lives on the state’s beaches since their installation.

The company has a long-standing relationship with SLSQ and is responsible for the system design, delivery and maintenance of its statewide radio communications infrastructure network and radio terminals.

With only 84 of the more than 700 accessible beaches patrolled, one of the greatest challenges for SLSQ is implementing initiatives to prevent the loss of life on unpatrolled beaches.

The emergency response beacons (ERB) operate over the existing radio network and are all fitted with alarms that can be sounded by remote control or can be activated if the ERB is knocked over or tampered with. The GPS capability supports SLSQ’s ability to act quickly when responding to an emergency situation.

David Lenehan of AA Radio explains, “Working closely on an operational level with SLSQ provides us with an intimate understanding of what our partners’ operational requirements are and what challenges they are faced with. Many of the people who find themselves in need of assistance along the Queensland coastline are visitors to the state and are not necessarily familiar with where they are and, in some cases, may find it difficult to communicate in English. This becomes more evident in a life-or-death situation when their primary concern is for a person’s safety. The GPS functionality allows SLSQ to deploy services to the exact location from the moment the ERB is activated.”

Next-generation ERBs are in the construction phase and will be deployed to remote unpatrolled beaches in time for the 2012 season commencing in September.

Watch a Channel 10 news report featuring the beacons.