Our surf life saving patrols to restart

The regular patrol season will start on November 6 with flags up at all seven Far South Coast clubs, director of lifesaving, FSC Branch Cheryl McCarthy said.

As part of the return to patrols, the FSC Branch is hosting training at Tathra on September 26,27 to ensure all surf lifesavers are up to date with the latest information not just on the use of power craft but also operations within a COVID safe environment.

"FSC Branch hosts training sessions near the start of every season to get our lifesavers back on deck and fully prepared for the season ahead," Ms McCarthy said.

"As we adjusted to the ever-changing world of COVID-19 our training opportunities were few and far between over the winter months so this training is really important for our team.

"As an emergency service organisation it's really important for us to be able to provide training and upskilling opportunities for our team to make sure we're at our best as patrols hit the beaches to keep beachgoers safe." Ms McCarthy said.

The training is in the use of advanced Inflatable Rescue Boats (IRB) and Ms McCarthy said was key to keeping lifesavers skills sharp for both regular patrols and emergency call outs.

"We're very mindful of COVID-19 and we've made a number of changes to our regular training program to ensure that safety is front of mind for both our lifesavers and the community," she added.

"We follow the updates daily and will adjust as required to ensure that no participants or coaches from any hot zones will be involved."

Ms McCarthy said they were excited to be getting back out on the water and making sure they were ready to greet visitors to local beaches in the coming weeks.

Training will be held at Tathra SLSC September 26,27 and lifesavers from clubs from Batemans Bay to Pambula will be involved.