Why Support?
Surf lifesavers make an incredible impact on Australian beaches every year - they freely give up their own time to provide a safe environment for Australians to enjoy the beaches and waterways around the country.
Each year, our volunteer lifesavers around the country provide over 1 million hours of patrol time on weekends and public holidays. Last season alone, they performed over 13,000 Rescues and more than 722,000 Preventative Actions.
Where Does Your Money Go?
Australia has a massive 36,000km of coastline where volunteer lifesavers from 310 clubs around the country assist thousands of beach-goers each year.
The cost of providing this service is possible thanks to the support we receive from the community. All funds raised are directed into four main areas requiring ongoing funding:
1. Rescue Gear and Equipment
This area represents the biggest single cost to running lifesaving services in Australia. Constant exposure to sun, sand and salt water means that equipment requires ongoing maintenance and eventual replacement. Some of the costs associated with servicing our beaches include:
| Oxygen Bottle | $ 40 | UHF Hand Held Radios | $ 800 |
| Neck Brace | $ 40 | Rescue Board | $ 1,300 |
| Patrol Pack | $ 50 | Patrol Tower | $ 2,600 |
| Rescue Tube | $ 120 | Oxy Viva | $ 3,500 |
| Loud Hailer | $ 160 | Defibrillator | $ 5,000 |
| First Aid Kit | $ 400 | All-Terrain Vehicle | $ 17,500 |
| Spinal Board | $ 500 | Inflatable Rescue Boat | $ 18,000 |
| Manikin | $ 550 | Rescue Water Craft | $ 22,500 |
2. Surf Lifesaver Training
To keep up with the increasing demand on our services, we need more qualified surf lifesavers on our beaches.
Every patrolling volunteer surf lifesaver must have their Bronze Medallion. This involves over 40 hours of assessment in many areas including CPR, rescue techniques, First Aid and fitness testing and must be updated each year.
The cost of recruiting, training and outfitting a single volunteer is in excess of $1,600 but the benefits are enormous - safer beaches and safer communities.
3. First Aid Supplies
Every Surf Life Saving Club has a First Aid room that needs to be continually replenished with items like bandages, Ventolin puffers and disposable sheets.
In fact on average, each club spends over $2,000 on First Aid supplies each year. Not surprising when you consider that lifesavers perform around 30,000 First Aid treatments each season from dangerous marine stings and minor cuts to suspected fractures and spinal damage.
4. Surf Safety Community Education
We believe that prevention is always better than the cure, so the best way to save lives is to ensure that those who use our beaches know how to stay out of danger.
We are constantly trying to reach more beach-goers and educate them on how to safely enjoy our greatest natural asset. Targeting schools, businesses and tourists in particular, we are able to instil the importance of swimming between the red and yellow flags as well as other vital surf safety tips like how to spot and survive a rip.
It costs up to $500 to run a basic surf safety demonstration for the community.
