bp Rescue of the Month – February 

February’s bp Rescue of the Month winners both showed remarkable responsiveness in rapidly evolving scenarios. The response crews were required to apply a range of skills and experience to safely bring patients back to shore and ultimately safely back to their whanau.  

bp New Zealand Head of Country Haley Mahoney says that in both scenarios, exceptional communication stood out. 

“Both these rescues saw multi-disciplinary teams gather information in real time from different sources and quickly communicate it to ensure the right people could act quickly.” 

Bethells Beach surf lifeguards and SAR squad 

Two fishermen are lucky to be alive thanks to Bethells Beach surf lifeguards and SAR squad. In a difficult rescue, surf lifeguards extracted them in early February from the blowhole at O’Neills Bay, just north of Bethells, after one was swept off the rocks just before 7:30pm. Two other fishermen somehow got the injured and unconscious man back onto the rocks and one walked back to the beach to alert surf lifeguards. 

With two metre-plus swells making it impossible to get an inflatable rescue boat (IRB) close enough, an incoming tide and fast-reducing light, rescue swimmers and the RWC(Jetski) rescued one patient at a time off the rocks and transported them to the safety of an IRB. The Westpac Rescue helicopter hovered above for the second rescue watching sea conditions and assisted with the timing of RWC pick-up. The two men were brought back to shore and handed over to ambulance for further assessment and transport.  

Operations Manager, Northern Region, James Lea, who was involved in the rescue, says the rescue was more complex due to the rough and heavy surf conditions and the fact the fishermen weren’t wearing lifejackets. 

“Although the rescue required our lifeguards to place themselves at risk; the continual dynamic risk assessments, planning and communication by the team of experienced lifeguards with the required expertise and calmness under pressure, enabled the successful execution of the rescue. 

“If our surf lifeguards had not rescued the fishermen, they would have left in a precarious position with dangerous seas and darkness approaching. They may not have survived, especially so for the injured patient who had head injury and multiple lacerations and was already hypothermic.”  

The RWC, IRB driving and rock rescue skills demonstrated in difficult conditions near rocks and first aid administered to assess and treat the injured fisherman were all exemplary and communication between the responders and with Westpac rescue helicopter, utilising the emergency liaison channel was clear. The incident controller expertly managed the complex incident, providing good communication, coordinating multiple SAR assets, and maintaining good relations with local ambulance and Surfcom. Despite being a large surf day, Bethells SAR allocated appropriate roles for those available, selecting appropriately experienced members to be appointed in the various roles. Dynamic risk assessment and timing were allocated with a clear ‘no go’ from when light was lost, or conditions became beyond capabilities. Patient care was exemplary, including support for the informant and friend after the incident. 

National Event Guards 

An intrinsic part of the SLSNZ event crew are event guards, employed to ensure both athletes and spectators get home safe and well. Oceans 25 Festival of Sport saw our event guards in action rescuing a young competitor then administering first aid to keep him safe.  

An athlete competing in the Under 13 Male Surf Race, was struck on the nose by another athlete’s foot. Following instructions from the athlete’s pre-race briefing, he immediately raised his hand for assistance. The event guard crew swiftly rescued him, and the event safety officer called the first aid team as a precaution. Enroute back to shore the athlete became unconscious but was still breathing. The event guards signalled for lifeguard assistance and within 60 seconds, he was brought ashore, assessed, and his father calmly provided relevant history.  

Oceans 25 event safety officer, Scott Weatherall said the rescue was absolutely textbook.  

“From the pre-race briefing—reminding athletes to raise their hand for assistance if needed by the Surf Officials on the beach, to the athlete signalling for help, everything was executed perfectly.  

“The quick recognition of the hand signal by both the IRB crew and those on the beach was crucial.” 

The IRB crew’s recognition of the athlete’s changing condition led to an immediate request for assistance at the water’s edge. This demonstrated a mix of communication techniques, including hand signals from the IRB to the beach, handheld radios from the event safety officer to first aiders, and verbal communication once back onshore. Information was gathered from multiple sources including the IRB crew's observations, the athlete’s father and the response team. 

Once the IRB reached the shore, the athlete was carried to a safe area for a full medical assessment. Drawing on the team’s experience, knowledge, and skills, a rapid assessment was conducted. Within about two minutes of arriving onshore, the athlete was alert and conscious. Following the clinical advice of the event safety officer/paramedic the patent travelled with family to the nearby After-Hours Clinic. They were advised that if he became unconscious or showed signs of deterioration, they should immediately pull over and call for assistance. The athlete was cleared of any concussion symptoms by a doctor and was back with his team later that afternoon. 

SLSNZ Event Guards are a critical component of SLSNZ sport surf lifeguard events and a range of other sporting and cultural events across the country. They allow organisers to deliver water-based events knowing that trained event guards are observing and assisting athletes and attendees to keep them as safe as possible in a range of marine environments.