Dreamtime Beach, a ‘hidden gem’ in northern NSW, quickly turned into a nightmare situation for two swimmers and their onshore party last week when it became clear the pair were drowning.

Fortunately, help was near in the form of an Emergency Rescue Beacon (ERB).

Manufactured by Aussie company Spectur Limited (ASX: SP3) and installed in collaboration with Surf Life Saving NSW, the beacon is purpose-built for situations like this one – to operate autonomously in remote areas without power cables and protect communities from danger.

Upon realising what was happening, a young woman who accompanied the two men to the ‘notorious’ drowning hotspot rushed to the ERB and used its phone to alert local lifeguards. But with the woman too panicked to describe the situation, it was the beacon’s time to shine.

Source: Surf Life Saving NSW

The solar-powered ERB relayed its exact location on the 2.5km-long beach along with a live video stream back to lifeguard supervisor Lachlan Field, enabling him to keep a keen eye on the situation while dispatching lifeguards to the scene and co-ordinating rescue efforts.

“That’s where the beacons are life-saving, because you have the location and you have cameras so you’re not reliant on the informant; you can find out for yourself whether the person in trouble has gone round the headland or not,” he said.

Mr Field added that without the beacon, rescuers would have had to start at one end and search all the way down the entire beach before getting to the headland.

It took the combined efforts of the lifeguards, Surf Life Saving NSW and a member of the public to eventually rescue the two men, who were conscious and breathing as they were ushered off to medical care in an ambulance.

“Those two people are really lucky. I doubt we would have gotten there in time without the beacon,” Mr Field said.

Spectur supporting NSW’s drive for safety

Twenty of Spectur’s systems now stand guard at less-accessible ‘blackspots’ across NSW, in an initiative managed by Surf Life Saving NSW and funded through the NSW Government, with more set to roll out across the state.

“This is exactly what the ERB was designed for: allowing members of the public to raise the alarm so our lifesavers can do what they do best,” NSW Minister for Emergency Services and Resilience Steph Cooke said.

While Spectur’s system is building a reputation for saving the lives of swimmers – including a fisherman who also nearly drowned at Dreamtime Beach in June this year – its capabilities can extend to safeguarding against bushfires and floods or helping prevent theft and vandalism.

Hailing the successful outcome of last week’s rescue, Spectur MD Gerard Dyson said it was moments like these that defined the company’s mission.

“Even though it’s not faster than a speeding bullet or can’t leap buildings in a single bound, I feel like we’ve built a literal solar-powered, life-saving superhero” he said.

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Sources:

• Echo, Swimmers saved by Emergency Response Beacon
• Reach Markets, Red alert on red tape: Spectur urges councils to expedite safety systems