Lifesaving

A way of Life

The core business of Carlton Park Surf Lifesaving club is keeping the public and our members safe when they are on the beach or in the water. Our club patrols Carlton beach every Saturday, Sunday and all public holidays from the first weekend in December until the last weekend in March. Lifesavers are on patrol from 10am until 3pm in the afternoon. All beachgoers are advised to swim between the red and yellow flags. Carlton beach has some rips and at times heavy surf. Lifesavers on duty have checked the designated swimming area for any potential hazards, so it is a safe area to swim.

Each patrol has a patrol captain who is always available to provide members of the public with information on conditions for the day. The patrol also has qualified first aid personnel who can assist with any injuries or incidents on the beach. Our lifesavers also provide water safety at our club training sessions, surf carnivals and many other events such as open water swims and surf craft endurance races. Apart from general patrolling and water safety, our club also assists Tasmania Police and Volunteer Marine Rescue groups with emergency marine search and rescue services.

How do I get involved?

Everyone is welcome to become a lifesaver, although a basic level of swimming and surf skills are required. The Bronze Medallion is the major senior lifesaving qualification that all lifesavers aim to achieve. Training for the Bronze Medallion includes CPR and basic first aid skills, rescue techniques using lifesaving equipment such as boards or rescue tubes and patrolling skills such as radio operations. Before commencing training all Bronze Medallion candidates must complete a 400m timed pool swim and a 200m run-swim-run in the surf.

Many of our junior members start their lifesaving careers by completing the Surf Rescue Certificate award, which is less demanding than the Bronze Medallion. Once our lifesavers have achieved their Bronze Medallion they can then look to training for many other qualifications. Inflatable Rescue Boat (IRB) Drivers or Crewperson, Advanced First Aid, Oxygen Therapy, Jet Ski, Spinal Management and Radio Operator are just some of the other qualifications lifesavers can obtain. Surf Lifesaving Tasmania is a Vocational Education and Training (VET) provider so most qualifications now have VET accreditation and can be used in other workplaces or for our junior members as credit points towards their Tasmanian Certificate of Education (TCE).

For many of our lifesavers, patrolling and lifesaving are more than a community service activity. Some of our families patrol together and lifelong friends are made on patrol. Some of our members have been patrolling together for decades and lifesaving has become an important part of their lives.