http://www.coffscoastadvocate.com.au/ne ... s/3086955/
SURF life saving clubs on the Coffs Coast will have improved capabilities in emergency callouts with new, state-of-the-art radios.
The 12 Hytera digital radios, worth $10,800, will be used on the Surf Life Saving NSW network.
Coffs-Clarence LAC crime manager, Detective Inspector Darren Jameson, applied for a grant to fund the new radios from the Minister of Police and Emergency Services, Troy Grant.
"It is important for surf life saving to continually improve their capabilities in search and rescue, and other emergency response incidents,” Det Insp Jameson said.
"The police are using surf life saving's emergency response system more and more, and these new digital radios provide stronger communications for surf life saving, which will enhance their capabilities to work alongside the NSW Police Force.”
Det Insp Jameson and Coffs Harbour MP Andrew Fraser presented the new radios to Surf Life Saving North Coast vice-president Paul Ninness today.
The three-to-five-watt radios are a big improvement from the previous one-watt devices used by local surf lifesavers.
Mr Ninness said the radios provided a stronger, more consistent signal and had built-in GPS tracking.
"This is a new generation for us to increase our capability of working with other emergency services as well as between ourselves,” he said.
"The one-watt radios very much operate in line of sight, so if you went around a headland or something like that, the signal could fall out, which in some circumstances could be catastrophic.
"With the support of the LAC and the NSW Government, we're able to do our job a lot more efficiently and safely.”
Mr Fraser said he was pleased to provide local surf lifesavers with a better communication strategy.
"Surf clubs on the North Coast do a fantastic job assisting the police in search and rescue, but they also do a great job on the beach when people are in danger,” Mr Fraser said.
"They're the ones who go out and save people from rips, they're the ones that do all the hard work, and they're pretty well unsung heroes who don't get a lot of assistance normally.”
Cheers Allison