RESPONSE TO NOTICE OF MOTION - TRIAL OF REMOTE RESCUE TUBES/LIFE RINGS AT UNPATROLLED BEACHES · Report

GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING                                                         19 JANUARY 2026




Figure 1 – City of Coffs Harbour Remote Rescue Tube Installation




Figure 2 – Ballina Shire Installation

2. Evidence supporting public rescue equipment
•   Between 2004 and 2022, there were 80 deaths of bystanders attempting to rescue someone on
    the coast, an average of five deaths each year. Most rescuers were male (83%), 40-54 years old
    (41%), and were rescuing a family member or loved one, usually a child under the age of 18. Rip
    currents were a significant factor in three-quarters of fatal bystander incidents (73%). 97% did
    not use a flotation device when they attempted the rescue. Providing a flotation device (i.e.,
    something that floats – e.g., a surfboard, bodyboard, angel ring, rescue tube, esky lid) to a
    drowning patient is a priority intervention that interrupts the drowning process and is crucial for
    mitigating effects on rescuer safety – Source https://beachsafe.org.au/surf-safety/bystander-
    rescue
•   The key to returning safely from a bystander rescue is bringing a flotation device. There have
    been no bystander rescue drownings when a flotation device has been used. On the flip side,
    every person who died in a rescue attempt between 2012 and 2022 did not have a flotation
    device,   according     to    the   Water    Safety    New     Zealand      Drown     Base   -
    Source https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/top/535829/hey-dad-don-t-drown-saving-your-kid-this-
    summer