SOP - Ocean Rescue

1.0 - Foundation

Ocean Rescue’s Mission is to patrol and ensure the safety of everyone on the Vespucci and Chumash Beaches. While on-duty Ocean Rescue is to be professional at all times, as well as uphold accountability.

1.1 - Enrollment

Ocean Rescue will be a certification. For you to sign up for Ocean Rescue then you must meet the following.

  • Must be in good standing with CGN (No Points)

  • Must be Fire trained with at minimum BLS but preferred ALS.

  • Must be well mannered during patrols and able to handle stressful situations with possibly limited resources.

1.2 - Rank Structure

Ocean Rescue will be a certification that is headed by all of Fire CoC, and at any point, you could lose the Certification. Generally speaking, there will be no rank structure; it will be just a Lifeguard.

1.3 - Disciplinary Action

All members of Ocean Rescue are held to a high level of professionalism and are always expected to maintain that level. Any member that fails to uphold this standard is eligible for the standard disciplinary actions per fire SOP.

2.0 - Ocean Rescue Training

Ocean Rescue Training will consist of the following things:

  • Going On Duty

  • Daily Tasks

  • Beach/Water Patrol

  • Tide Rescue

  • Beach Side Medical Aid

2.1 - Jurisdiction

As a San Andreas Fire Rescue Station, Station 3 has secondary jurisdiction over the entire state but has primary jurisdiction over incidents at Vespucci Beach and Chumash over other stations because Ocean Rescue has the ability to patrol those areas.

At no time are we to activate in Blaine County. We don't have any of our OR vehicles nor equipment in place there. This may result in disciplinary actions taken if a member activates in Blaine County.

2.2 - Response Procedures

As San Andreas Fire Rescue, it is required that units respond to all Fire and EMS-related emergencies within San Andreas. As Station 3 is beach-side, Station 3 personnel shall allow all other stations to be committed before responding to emergencies that are not in their primary jurisdiction.

On the beach, the Ambulance is required to stay on paved surfaces and any person needing transport should be moved by hand or by Rover to the awaiting Ambulance.

When responding to an emergency outside of our jurisdiction it is mandatory to change clothes to the current SAFR fire uniform. Failure to uphold this may result in disciplinary actions.

On the water, the Otter cannot go into the jet ski course area on the south side of the pier.

2.2.1 Apparatus Response Speeds

When patrolling, whether on the beach or the water, there will be people around you; therefore there is a speed limit in place to allow for a proper response time and the civilian’s safety.

The Patrol speeds are as follows:

Rover during Beach Patrol: 30MPH.

Rover during Beach Emergency Response: 50MPH.

Otter during Patrol: 20-25MPH.

Otter during Emergency Response: 50 MPH maximum and preferred to keep the speed around 40 MPH.

Medic during Emergency Response on the Beach: 50 MPH.

Medic during transport: 80 MPH.

If going off the beach and onto public roadways then the standard speed limits per the Penal Code are applicable.

2.2.2 Apparatus Staffing

The apparatus that are in use currently allow and or require staffing of the following to be able to be taken out:

Otter: 2x personnel at minimum.

In case of an emergency and there is insufficient Ocean Rescue personnel available for the Otter then you may ask standard Fire personnel to assist. During this, Ocean Rescue personnel are the ones performing the rescue at all times and should always commit to letting the Fire personnel drive the Otter.

2.2.3 Seasonal Changes

Depending on the season there may be a variation in the crowd around Vespucci Beach. Because of this during the seasonal changes we shall stick to the following guidelines:

During Spring, Summer, and Autumn; we may patrol the beaches and/or waters at will and during the winter we shall follow the standard Fire/EMS policy and will respond only on an on-call basis as there are fewer people on the beach during the winter.

2.3 - Dive Rescue Assistance

During the process of a Dive Rescue, Port Authority units should be asking the San Andreas Fire Rescue to stage for medical aid. With the DCS care learned from training, EMS personnel trained in it can utilize their knowledge even without being active as Ocean Rescue.

3.0 - Equipment

We will be utilizing both BLS and ALS medical bags as well as the following items we can fit on the gator: Backboard and or spinal board.

3.1 - Uniforms

We will be utilizing the 2 uniforms listed below here during our daily patrols on the water and the beach depending on the season.

It is recommended to make multiple versions of the uniforms with and without a medical bag and/or gloves and shall follow the standard Fire/EMS policy in regards to the seasonal changes.

3.2 - Vehicles

We will be utilizing the following apparatus for Ocean Rescue-related tasks:

When using the fly car, the same rules apply as when you are on as normal fire.

3.3 - Call Signs

Our callsigns are the ones as listed down below:

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